Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – January has become the deadliest month in the Indonesian coronavirus outbreak with 7,860 deaths, 51 percent higher than the previous monthly high recorded in December. The total death toll stands at 29,998 as of January 31.

The number of confirmed cases also has been surging dramatically with a staggering 335,116 cases throughout the month to take the country's total to 1,078,314. The January total topped the previous record by more than 130,000 cases.

Most of the country's key hotspots have seen an uptick in newly cases, especially provinces in the most crowded island of Java.

Yogyakarta in the southern part of the island reported an 80 percent rise in its total, from 12,155 cases on Dec. 31 to 21,825 on Jan. 31.

West Java, home to more than 50 million people, recorded a similar growth, from 83,579 cases to 150,336 over the same period.

Daily numbers in West Java surpassed the 4,000 mark twice this month, a level never seen in any other provinces.

But it's Jakarta which has contributed the most caseload to the national tally, with an additional 85,983 cases in January alone. The capital city has recorded a total of 269,718 cases since the outbreak began, making up 25 percent of overall cases nationwide.

Central Java has averaged 1,408 cases in January, in comparison to an average of 833 in December. The province has recorded a total of 125,355 cases as of Sunday.

Meanwhile, East Java added 28,643 cases this month for a total of 112,795.

Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and East Java together account for 61 percent of the national tally.

Other hotspots like South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, Bali and Banten have seen resurgence in newly cases since late November and added the pace when January came.

South Sulawesi has added 17,214 cases throughout January for a total of 48,261, the biggest caseload outside Java.

East Kalimantan recorded 14,136 cases in the 31-day period to take its total to 41,212.

Bali and Banten registered more than 8,000 cases each, taking their total to 26,000 plus.

Of the nearly 30,000 coronavirus death toll, 26 percent have been recorded in East Java.

Central Java comes next with 18 percent of the national death toll or 5,384 Covid deaths, followed by Jakarta (4,267), West Java (1,932) and East Kalimantan (996).

The all-time record for the highest daily death toll was 200, recorded by West Java earlier this week.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-concludes-deadliest-month-in-coronavirus-outbrea