Indonesia issues warning over Covid-19 surge in Asia

According to the latest data from the Health Ministry on June 3, Indonesia reported seven confirmed cases last week.PHOTO: EPA-EFE

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Health Ministry has urged healthcare facilities to stay alert and increase surveillance of Covid-19 amid a surge in cases caused by a more transmissible but less deadly Omicron sub-variant in several countries across Asia.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin met President Prabowo Subianto to discuss the rising number of Covid-19 cases across Asia on June 3. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said that “cases are indeed increasing, but the rise is caused by variants that are relatively less deadly”.

His statement came after his ministry issued a circular last week to warn healthcare facilities to stay alert after a rising Covid-19 trend in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, largely driven by the more transmissible but less severe Omicron subvariant JN.1.

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The circular instructed regional health agencies, hospitals, community health centers and other health service facilities across the country to monitor case trends through routine surveillance, report any unusual occurrences and raise public awareness about the need for vigilance.

According to data from the Health Ministry on June 3, Indonesia reported seven confirmed cases last week with the positive rate declining to 2.05 per cent from a peak of 3.62 per cent the previous week.

Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman of Griffith University in Australia said the warning should be taken seriously by the broader public. “This is a good measure as an early warning to create awareness,” he told The Jakarta Post on June 3.

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He said that while it would no longer become a pandemic since mass vaccination has built herd immunity among the Indonesian population, he urged people to maintain caution.

“We must maintain the clean and healthy habits that were developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as regularly wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining physical distance, adopting a healthy lifestyle and ensuring proper air circulation.”

Dr Dicky also suggested that the government heighten its alert systems, especially in vulnerable areas with large elderly populations.

Dr Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association predicted that the newest sub-variant JN.1 has likely already entered Indonesia, but the surveillance system has been unable to detect it in real time.

“Unfortunately, it is not easy to identify suspects at ports and airports,” she said, suggesting that the government should focus on travelers from affected countries instead.

“Governments can also implement random rapid diagnostic checks based on certain criteria while considering ethical aspects,” she added.

Among the hardest-hit nations in the current wave is Thailand, which reported over 65,000 cases and three deaths in the last week of May, according to The Nation.

But Thai Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on June 2 that the outbreak in the country has already passed its peak and was expected to ease.

Hong Kong saw a downward trend in its positive rate, from 13.6 percent in the week of May 11 to 17 to 11.22 percent in the following week, although its health department warned that case levels might remain high in upcoming months. /dl