It was exactly a year ago that Indonesia officially reported the first COVID-19 cases on its soil. In the time since, the country has struggled to contain the outbreak, becoming one of the few in Asia to surpass 1 million cases and having one of the worst death rates in the continent.

On March 2, 2020, two Depok citizens tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first cases to be officially reported in Indonesia after weeks of the government's assurances that the pandemic hadn't reached its shores, with then-Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto claiming that the country was shielded by the power of prayer.

As of March 1, 2021, Indonesia has recorded 1,341,314 cases, including 1,151,915 recoveries and 36,325 deaths. That puts Indonesia 18th in the world and fourth in Asia for caseload, fourth in Asia for recoveries, and third in Asia for deaths.

But that may not paint the whole picture as Indonesia's test numbers lag far behind from major Asian nations. As of March 1, Indonesia has conducted 39,336 tests per 1 million people, which put it at 37th in the continent.

On the positive side, Indonesia is seeing a downward trend in new cases in the last couple of weeks, thus gradually reducing its number of active cases. As of March 1, that number is 153,074, which is significantly lower than the country's active cases peak of 176,672 on Feb. 5.

Indonesia also began its mass vaccination program in mid-January, with the aim of vaccinating 800,000 people per day in order to meet the government's target of inoculating 180 million people, or 70 percent of the total population, to achieve herd immunity against the disease by March 2022.

However, Indonesia's vaccination rate has not reached the targeted pace. As of March 1, 1,720,623 people have received their first of two required doses of the vaccine, while 1,002,218 people have received their second.

Source: https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/a-year-of-covid-19-in-indonesia-1341314-cases-36325-deaths