It Takes Time For The COVID-19 Pandemic To Become Endemic

JAKARTA - Virology Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika said the transition from the COVID-19 pandemic to being endemic requires observation within a certain period of time.

"What is called endemic is the observation of a disease in an area or in a country at a certain time," Mahardika said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, June 23.

He said an area could be said to be entering an endemic period when the number of cases was relatively low with few spikes in cases.

"As long as the situation is level, with a few small explosions, we may claim that Indonesia has entered an endemic phase," he said.

In addition, before entering the endemic phase, observation of the disease situation is required for at least 3 months or more.

"A certain period of time cannot be one day, cannot be a week, a minimum of 3 months, a minimum of 6 months, preferably a year," said the Professor of Udayana University.

His party said it was natural for an increase in the number of cases, but as long as it was accompanied by an increase in the number of testing.

"When it comes to testing, why then there is an increase in the number of people, because the testing is increasing," he said.

Mahardika said as long as the indicators for hospital occupancy rates and deaths from COVID-19 remained low, the situation could still be said to be under control.

"I think this is very reasonable and the best indicators we currently use are hospital occupancy rates and fatalities," he said.