COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to decline

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in Indonesia have continued to decline for the fourth week in a row, the Health Ministry reported on Wednesday.

“Nationally, there was a 42-percent decrease in cases compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, the death rate decreased by 29 percent compared to the previous week,” spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations at the ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, informed at a press conference on the implementation of community activity restrictions (PPKM), which was streamed on the FMB9ID YouTube channel on Wednesday.

Laboratory tests–polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antigen rapid diagnostic tests (RDT)–increased compared to the previous week, she said.

The rate of tracking cases through testing in the community was three times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, she pointed out.

“Our testing rates have reached 3.07 people per 1,000 population per week. This figure is three times higher than the WHO minimum standard of one person per 1,000 population per week,” Tarmizi said.

The positivity rate or the rate of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, at the national level also decreased to 10 percent, she added.

All provinces in Indonesia have reached a minimum testing standard of 1 person per 1,000 population per week, she informed. Positivity rates in 14 provinces have even dipped below 5 percent, he added.

Meanwhile, the bed occupancy rate (BOR) for patients undergoing self-isolation in hospitals across the province is already below 80 percent, the spokesperson added.

Source: Antara News