High Positivity Rate, Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi: There Are Unconfirmed Data

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Health)

JAKARTA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the high positivity rate of COVID-19 in the country occurred because of several possibilities.

One of them, there are still laboratories that have not entered their data, especially negative results from testing existing specimens.

"One of the hypotheses I convey is that there are indications that some laboratories have not been able to enter all of their data, especially negative data," Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Ministry of Health's YouTube account, Wednesday, February 17.

He said, many laboratories did not report negative test results due to technical constraints, namely the difficulty of entering the application used for reporting. This has also been checked directly by the ranks at the Ministry of Health.

"We've checked with each laboratory, it's hard to get into the application. The response is slow, the user interface is complicated," he said.

After knowing this problem, his party then tried to make improvements with a new application which is expected to be used by all laboratories this week. So, positive and negative data from specimens that have been examined can be entered automatically and faster.

"Thus, later the number of testing will increase and we will see an overview of the positivity rate," he said.

Apart from technical problems, Budi also said there were two other obstacles. The first is the hospital's low discipline to fill out a complete report so that it takes the initiative to communicate.

Second, it is true that testing or testing for those suspected of being exposed to COVID-19 is still not fast enough. "As a result, our positivity rate is high. Therefore, we will increase the antigen rapid," he said.

Later, the results of this rapid antigen test will also be included in the daily report. It's just that, currently the system is being prepared in advance.

"We hope that this week it will be completed so that the results of the antigen can be included in the daily report," he concluded.