Day: November 26, 2021

Based on a survey conducted from August 2020 to February 2021, the Health Ministry has estimated the number of Indonesians who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 at 16 million.

They included both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, it added.

“Yes, this is asymptomatic patients’ survey data from August to February 2021,” spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, informed here on Friday.

During the period, 60–80 percent of people infected with COVID-19 did not show symptoms, and therefore went undiagnosed, she said.

The asymptomatic patients’ survey was conducted by the Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Faculty of Health, University of Indonesia, she added.

The survey was conducted in order to obtain seroprevalence data within a year of the pandemic striking the country, Tarmizi said. “So, it’s not the result of screening the estimated number of people infected with COVID-19,” she informed.

She confirmed that most asymptomatic patients in Indonesia were reported to have recovered. “Because if it gets worse, the report will definitely reach the health facility and it will definitely be diagnosed,” she added.

According to Tarmizi, testing and tracing for COVID-19 in Indonesia has approached the standard, and testing has even exceeded the WHO’s standard.

Currently, the national COVID-19 testing rate is 3.25 per 1,000 population, she disclosed. The standard set by WHO for the COVID-19 testing rate is 1 per 1,000 population, she said.

Earlier Tarmizi had said that the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has crossed 4.2 million so far. She estimated that the actual number would be four times the figure, that is, 16 million, if the approximate number of asymptomatic patients is included.

The figure is the result of a seroprevalence survey conducted with the Faculty of Public Health, the University of Indonesia, she pointed out.

Source: Antara News

The Yogyakarta City COVID-19 Handling Task Force confirmed three additional positive cases of COVID-19 from limited face-to-face learning (PTM) activities based on the results of random tests that were conducted.

“Three cases were found in three different schools. We will immediately follow up to trace the close contacts,” Head of the Yogyakarta COVID-19 Handling Task Force Heroe Poerwadi stated on Friday.

The three students confirmed positive did not show any symptoms of illness and were immediately requested to undergo isolation, he informed.

The three schools are also temporarily closed for tracing. The Yogyakarta COVID-19 Task Force will continue with testing to prevent the likelihood of wider transmission.

“From now on, teaching and learning activities in those three schools are fully returned online,” Perwadi remarked.

Earlier, four students from the same school had tested positive for COVID-19.

Of these cases, 79 close contacts were examined through antigen rapid test and showed negative results.

“We will repeat the test with PCR next week. Hopefully, it would show negative results again,” Poerwadi remarked.

Poerwadi, who is also the Yogyakarta deputy mayor, noted that his administration was actively conducting COVID-19 examination for students and teachers in schools with PTM.

“We do not wait to examine sick students or teachers, but we are actively conducting random tests,” he expounded.

In the first stage, the local government has targeted to test 17 schools from elementary, junior high, and high schools to vocational schools in Yogyakarta, with a total target of 2,050 samples.

Testing was conducted in 14 schools, with more than 1,500 samples collected and seven confirmed positive cases.

“The number of positive cases is still relatively low and with low transmission because results from tracing the close contacts have shown negative results,” he noted.

The random COVID-19 tests conducted at 17 schools are targeted to be completed on November 30 and will be continued in the next stage to test those from other schools in the city.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of Commission D of the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Krisnadi stated that in order to prevent transmission, schools were urged to stringently implement health protocols during limited PTM.

“For instance, PTM in elementary school must be limited to grade 6 only since those from their age bracket were allowed to receive the vaccination. Schools should not increase learning hours in PTM,” he remarked.

He also suspected that the positive cases arising from the limited PTM were due to the students’ parents.

“This is because adults had higher mobility than children. The students might become infected from their parents,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian citizens can enter the Holy Land after the Government of Saudi Arabia lifted the suspension of international travel for several countries and the booster vaccine requirement, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas stated.

“There are no longer requirements for being vaccinated with the booster dose, but (umrah pilgrims) still have to comply with health protocols,” Qoumas noted in a written statement received here on Friday.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia authorities only allowed entry into the Holy Land for those vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) brands.

Earlier, the authority had issued a regulation for umrah pilgrims inoculated with the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines that necessitated receiving one dose of additional injections or boosters from four vaccines recognized by the Government of Saudi Arabia.

That rule has been lifted, and foreign nationals or umrah pilgrims must undergo a five-day quarantine upon arrival in the Holy Land.

“Pilgrims have to comply with health protocols by undergoing institutional quarantine for five days. It must be obeyed together,” Qoumas stated.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), has updated its international flight regulations. As of December 1, 2021, flights from Indonesia can directly fly to Saudi Arabia.

Qoumas has welcomed the new regulation issued by Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority dated November 25, 2021.

“Alhamdulillah (Thank God), after returning from a working visit from Saudi Arabia, I received official information that starting at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, Indonesians will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia without having to stay in a third country for 14 days,” he expounded.

He noted that Indonesia was prioritized for hajj and umrah after he had attended a meeting with the Saudi hajj and umrah authority at Mecca, Monday, November 22.

Source: Antara News

The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) has awarded regions that have created innovations for expediting stunting reduction, BKKBN head Hasto Wardoyo informed in a written statement that ANTARA received here on Friday.

“Innovation is very important to accelerate the reduction of stunting. I hope that these innovations are not created for the award, but to bring changes to their respective regions,” he remarked.

“Innovation will produce a mindset revolution that would change the landscape with new methods to spread information comprehensively,” he affirmed.

The innovation awards were bestowed on 12 winners in six categories by BKKBN, the Indonesian Health Service Association (Adinkes), and the Habibie Institute for Public Policy and Governance (HIPPG).

Sumarji from East Java took the award for the people education category, Sofiana Nur Khasanah, Central Sulawesi, for the cross-sector collaboration category, and Rosmala Nur, Central Sulawesi, for the information technology use category, Wardoyo informed.

Dedik Kurniawan, East Java, won in the people’s empowerment category, and Suharmianti Mentari, Riau Islands, in the local food processing category, he added.

Innovation is very important for building collaboration with stakeholders and could help villages to break free from poverty as well as reduce the high stunting rate, Wardoyo noted.

Observing the support from regional governments, he said he is optimistic that Indonesia could achieve the target to lower the stunting rate to 14 percent by 2024.

He further said he expects that, through these awards, information on the innovations would spread to all of Indonesia so that other regions can take advantage of their local cultures and existing natural resources.

Meanwhile, Adinkes’ head, M. Subuh, said that the stunting prevention innovation award in all regions would hopefully help maintain and expand the scope of the created innovations.

“We believe that every region will have the best innovation for their respective areas. To this end, support from regional heads is necessary so that innovation can be useful for regions’ residents,” he expounded.

Source: Antara News

Forty-four percent of Jakarta residents have developed immunity to the coronavirus because a majority of them have been exposed to COVID-19, head of Jakarta’s Health Service, Widyastuti, has informed.

In a statement released here on Friday, she noted that the figure was based on the results of a serology survey issued in March 2021. The sample collection period for the survey was December 2020 to January 2021, she said.

“This is despite the fact that, when the data was collected, nobody had been vaccinated yet. This means that Jakarta residents have naturally formed immunity because they were infected,” she explained.

The current herd immunity rate is increasing due to COVID-19 vaccinations, she highlighted.

The first dose vaccination coverage in Jakarta has reached 11,079,640, with 67 percent of the recipients holding Jakarta identity cards (KTPs) and 33 percent having non-Jakarta KTP.

Meanwhile, 8,944,272 people have received their second dose, with 70 percent holding Jakarta KTP and 30 percent having non-Jakarta KTP.

“We received another good batch of vaccines, so many Jakarta residents received their second dose. Their natural immunity was formed due to infection and vaccination,” Widyastuti affirmed.

She said she expects that the realization of herd immunity would reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure.

“A majority of people died because they were exposed (to the virus), developed severe symptoms, and had not yet been vaccinated. Other factors included comorbidity,” she pointed out.

Residents who have only received their first dose can still contract COVID-19 so they are not 100-percent protected, she pointed out.

Earlier, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had claimed that the COVID-19 situation in the capital is under control and that there is collective immunity in Jakarta.

Source: Antara News

Government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Reisa Broto Asmoro, has urged churches in Indonesia to provide the option of home worship to their members during Christmas.

“(Churches must provide the option of) Online (home worship) with the worship procedures that have been prepared by church administrators and managers so that the church’s capacity does not surpass 50 percent of the maximum limit,” she advised while making an online press statement, accessed from here on Friday.

She called for forming a COVID-19 health protocol task force in each church to ensure the safety of people during Christmas prayers and celebrations.

“We are sure that the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI), the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), and other Christian religious organizations already have good health standards and worship arrangements because this is the second Christmas that we are celebrating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

People who celebrate Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022 at home will also benefit more because they will be able to maintain their and their family’s health, she pointed out.

According to Asmoro, people must pay attention to potential disasters caused by COVID-19 and not just natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, and other disasters predicted by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

Taking preventive measures is also better than reacting only when many victims fall, she added.

“Preventing and being prepared are much better than treating and rehabilitating or reconstructing,” she noted.

She opined that Christmas and New Year are an opportunity to prove that Indonesia can survive the pandemic while still implementing the health protocols.

In addition, testing, tracing, and treatment (3T) will also be intensified so that the public activity restrictions (PPKM) can still be maintained at Level 1, she informed.

“The vaccination program is also being accelerated to reach the 70-percent target by the end of this year,” she added.

Source: Antara News