COVID-19 Cases In Palembang Increase, Dominated By Out-of-City Travelers

Illustration of visitors to a public service place in Palembang, South Sumatra, scanning the PeduliLindung application (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Active confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Palembang City, South Sumatra, are dominated by travellers out of town, especially those who move from big cities on the island of Java.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Palembang was recorded to have increased from 170 cases as of Thursday, February 3 to 313 cases as of last Friday.

"We percentage that around 70 percent of the total COVID-19 cases are travelers outside the city. One or two weeks before confirmation. For example, Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, which are currently experiencing an increase in cases," said the unit spokesman. The COVID-19 task of the Palembang City Health Office, Yudhi Setiawan, was quoted from ANtara, Saturday.

According to him, the high mobility of people in the city and tend to ignore health protocols, also has an impact on local transmission, which leads to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Therefore, his party also noted that the occupancy of the Palembang COVID-19 referral hospital had reached 12 percent, including six patients undergoing intensive care at the hospital, 262 symptomatic and 46 asymptomatic undergoing self-isolation treatment.

He ensured, based on the results of searches and medical research from hundreds of new confirmed cases, no exposure to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had been found.

"The examination was carried out using the whole genome secuencing method that we took, and the samples were sent to the Research and Development Center in Jakarta. The results have not yet been found for Omicron in Palembang," he said.

Head of the Palembang City Health Office Fenty Aprina said that seeing the trend of increasing active cases of COVID-19, all people were encouraged to comply with the policy of limiting community activities, where currently the city of Palembang is at PPKM Level 2.

"Similarly, if this case continues to grow, then the central government through the Minister of Home Affairs or the Ministry of Health makes the status of PPKM in Palembang increase to level three, of course we will comply with these limits," he said.

According to him, the application of health protocols that minimally wear masks, wash hands with soap and limit mobility are fundamental ways to mitigate the increasing spread of COVID-19.

"Then the second dose of vaccination and those who have fulfilled the two primary doses, we hope to be able to fulfill the third dose soon. Optimize it, then the health protocol at least once a mask should not be forgotten," he said.

Referring to the data recap of the Palembang City Health Office, the third dose of COVID-19 vaccination (booster) has now reached 96 percent or 13,924 people for health human resources as of Friday (4/2).

As many as three percent or 2,845 people for public service officers, the third dose for the elderly has eight percent or 10,132 people and the third dose of vaccination is two percent or 25,309 people for the vulnerable and the general public.

The total of the third vaccinations was 52,210 people, an increase of 2,365 or 4.20 percent from 904,787 targets in that category.

The achievement of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination has reached 225 percent or 226,818 people, for health human resources, 49 percent or 64,332 people for public service officers. As many as 49 percent or 64,332 elderly and 51 percent or 438,104 people for the target community and the general public.

The achievement of the second dose of vaccination for teenagers was 91 percent or 140,413 people, one percent or 209 pregnant women, 2,208 children, and 23,041 people in the mutual cooperation category.

The total achievement of the second dose of vaccination was 70.38 percent with a total of 873,825 people or an increase of 1,792 people from 1,240,849 targets in that category.

Vaccine stock in Palembang warehouse is for Sinovac 115,212 doses, AstraZaneca 14,690 doses, Moderna 160 doses, Pfizer 14,376 doses.