Discipline Of Health Protocols And Vaccinations Are Requirements To Change The COVID-19 Pandemic To Endemic

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Epidemiologists Hariadi Wibisono said the COVID-19 pandemic could turn into an endemic if the number of cases was suppressed in the community.

So, people must prepare themselves to face the change from pandemic to endemic.

"The pandemic turns into an endemic if the handling of cases is successful enough to reduce the number of cases but does not end, so that there are still constant and sporadic cases," Hariadi was quoted as saying in his written statement, Sunday, September 18.

However, to reach that stage, endemic must be monitored with a good surveillance function. Because, if this is not done, it will increase the number of unmonitored positive cases of COVID-19.

As a result, it is not even an endemic that occurs, but an increase in cases will continue to occur. "And if an outbreak in an area or country is not handled properly, it will spread to other countries, it will become a pandemic," Hariadi said.

To continue to strive for the COVID-19 pandemic to become endemic, the government needs to strengthen the surveillance function by preparing trained personnel in finding, tracking, taking specimens and local transmission termination measures.

"As for the community, what needs to be done is awareness of the importance of health protocols and vaccinations," said Hariadi.

Meanwhile, immunization expert Elizabeth Jane Soepardi from the central government and local governments was asked to start placing epidemiologists in every district/city.

This aims to help identify the focus of virus transmission as a basis for implementing the Enforcement of Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) and allocating resources such as vaccines, drugs, equipment, budget allocations in order to decide on virus transmission.

Moreover, a pandemic can become endemic when the circulation of the virus cannot be cut off. "The virus continues to circulate, moving from one group to another," said Elizabeth.

For information, a pandemic is a disease outbreak that has spread widely to several countries with an increasing number of cases and deaths. Meanwhile, endemic is a situation where a disease is always present even though the number is not much and is not increasing.