Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The Health Ministry's Director of Health Quarantine Surveillance at Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) Achmad Farchanny Tri Adryanto said that COVID-19 cases in Indonesia continue to increase. Until December 13, the ministry recorded 6,815,894 cases with 161,927 deaths.
The World Health Organization, or WHO, and President Jokowi have revoked the Covid-19 emergency status. However, it does not mean that the virus disappeared and there is the possibility of the emergence of new variants as a virus does mutate and adapt.
"The virus will continue to roam and the emergence of new variants will also exist because this is a virus. But we continue to carry out observation, surveillance, and immediate responses, until early detection to mitigate COVID-19 cases," said Achmad in a webinar held by Persahabatan Hospital in a Zoom Meeting on Saturday, December 16, 2023.
Achmad said that COVID-19 cases in Indonesia as of December 14, 2023, reached 359 cases with an increase of 13 percent. The recovery rate was 79 cases. The active cases or COVID-19 confirmed cases that are under hospital treatment or self-isolation was at 1,499 cases, an increase from December 13's number of 1,219 cases.
"Since December 6, we're performing daily monitoring," Achmad said.
He explained this was also contributed by the increasing testing trend in December 2023, as from early this year until August 2023, the testing trend decreased.
"So, the increasing cases have emerged since August 2023 until today, even though the number is far below the number of cases in 2022. But this is a warning that we must improve again in all lines of the health sector," he said.
Therefore, Achmad said the Directorate General of Health had issued a circular to carry out vigilance in tracking COVID-19 cases. All health facilities were asked to increase the number of Covid-19 testing.
Based on the province, he said that the latest number of cases was reported in Bali, Bangka Belitung, Banten, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta with quite significant numbers. Then in West Java, East Java, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Papua, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra.