VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vigilance must be maintained against the risk of COVID-19 transmission since the global pandemic situation has not been fully brought under control, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Professor Wiku Adisasmito, has said.

"Seeing that the world situation is still not under control, the vigilance still needs to be applied," he explained in a press statement on the development of COVID-19 in Indonesia, which was followed online from Jakarta on Thursday.

The COVID-19 situation in Indonesia is under control, marked by community activities that can be carried out as usual, the same as before the pandemic hit, he noted.

The addition of weekly positive cases in the country, active cases, and weekly deaths has also reduced in the past three weeks at least, he added.

The number of positive cases and active cases had increased for four weeks at the end of October 2022, with weekly positive cases increasing from 19 thousand to 46 thousand per week and 6,500 cases recorded per day on average.

However, the increase in cases in Indonesia did not last long. In the past four weeks, the number of cases has decreased significantly to 10 thousand per week, or an average of around 1,400 cases per day, while around 29 thousand active cases are currently being reported per day, Adisasmito informed.

According to him, the decline in cases has also been accompanied by a fall in the death rate. As of December 18, 2022, the weekly death rate has reached 174, with an average of 24 deaths recorded per day.

The average daily recovery rate has also been maintained at 96 percent throughout 2022, and in the past two months, it has remained at 97 percent.

"Looking at the available data regarding the development of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, it looks under control," he disclosed.

However, he pointed out that five countries, namely Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, and China, are experiencing an increase in weekly cases.

"Of the five countries, only China, whose increase was much higher than the previous peak. The rest experienced an increase but not as high as the previous peak," he noted.

The five countries are still experiencing additional positive cases, with an average of 16 thousand to 142 thousand cases recorded every day, he said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Indonesia's neighboring countries such as Singapore and Thailand has been stable with 8 thousand and 3 thousand cases recorded per week.

Adisasmito said that the situation in Indonesia, which is relatively under control, must be accompanied by vigilance, especially ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

People are still advised to wear masks and wash their hands with water or hand sanitizer, he said.

"Moreover, the potential for an increase in cases will be higher at the end of the year due to increased community activity. The cooperation of all parties from the central, regional governments, tourist destinations, and the community is needed to create a safe environment for COVID-19," he added. (Antaranews)