Increase In Patients Infected With The COVID-19 Virus In Indonesia

Photo of a medical officer researching the corona virus (Irvan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Since the announcement of the findings of the corona virus case in Indonesia in early March, the number of infected patients has continued to increase. Now there are 19 patients who have tested positive for the COVID-19 outbreak.

The first finding of this case occurred in a mother and child, from Depok. The two became infected after coming into direct contact with a Japanese national, who was later reported positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia.

As a result, the mother and child were treated at the Sulianti Saroso Central Infection Hospital (RSPI), Jakarta. The two of them were also placed in a special isolation room to receive intensive care while observing the corona virus that infected them.

After a while, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) again announced two other Indonesian citizens who were suspected of being infected with the corona virus, on Friday, March 6. These results were obtained after tracking contact of the first two cases of COVID-19.

"We have found two positive people which we call cases number 03 and 04," said spokesman for the handling of COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto to reporters some time ago.

At that time, the two patients had cough and runny symptoms. However, said Yurianto, there were no symptoms of shortness of breath in both of them which indicated a corona virus infection.

He said the two patients had also had close contact or direct contact with patients from cases 01 and 02 who were treated at RSPI Sulianti Saroso.

Two days later, the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Handling Team again announced two other people who were also declared infected with the corona virus. Yurianto explained, this is the fifth and sixth cases in Indonesia who are positively infected with the corona.

It is known that this sixth patient had worked as a crew on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was infected with the COVID-19 outbreak in the waters of Yokohama, Japan some time ago. Henceforth, this sixth patient was treated at the Friendship Hospital, Jakarta.

The number of patients infected with the corona virus has increased again. No kidding, the number of patients exposed to COVID-19 immediately jumped to 13 people. They are said to have a connection with the first case of a Japanese citizen who tested positive for the corona virus.

"First, we identify it as the 07th case of a 59-year-old woman whose condition seems mild, moderate, stable. This is an imported case case," said Yurianto.

Based on the Ministry of Health's investigation, the patient from this seventh case had just returned from abroad and was showing a flu-like symptom similar to COVID-19. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health did not mention which country the 07th patient visited.

"PCR examination then genome sequencing four days ago, we got positive as case number 07," he explained.

In a later case, it was the husband of the seventh patient. Yurianto explained, this eighth patient was a 56-year-old man with a medical history of diarrhea. The patient is now being treated intensively with intravenous devices to replace her wasted body fluids due to her diarrhea.

"The next case, case 09, is a 55 year old woman. Her condition now looks mild and moderately ill without any previous disease. This patient is also an imported case, not part of any cluster, came from abroad," he said.

Graphic of the spike in corona virus patients in Indonesia (Ilham Amin / VOI)

In the case of the corona virus which is classified as a disease outbreak, the term imported case appears in the context of epidemic transmission. Referring to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, imported case means that the patient has contracted the disease from outside the country where he lives.

In other words, a person is positively infected while traveling away from home and in close contact with foreign nationals abroad. Cases classified as imported cases can generally be directed to patients who are abroad within 7 to 18 days.

So that patients with suspected imported case cannot be classified as local transmission. This is because the patient or patient is suspected of having close contact with someone who is suspected or confirmed to have a disease, including contact when attending an event at a place.

Likewise with patients in cases number 10 to 12, Yurianto said the three were the result of the development of the tracking case in the first patient. It's just that the patients in cases 10 and 11 are foreign nationals, with a mild illness.

"The case with identification number 12, a mildly ill man is also tracking case 01," he explained.

For the next patient from case 13, is a 16 year old teenager who was successfully traced by the Ministry of Health through tracking contact from the third patient sub-cluster, and is still in touch with the dance party where the first transmission of the corona virus occurred. Meanwhile, patients with cases 14 and 15, according to Yurianto, were imported cases from COVID-19.

"Likewise for case patient number 16, a woman aged 17 years is related to patient number 15. Her close contact is patient number 15. Patient number 17, is male 56 years old, this is imported case. Number 18, male aged 55 years. this is also imported case. Number 19 is male, 40 this year is also imported case, "said Yurianto.

To note, the 13 new cases of COVID-19 came from 21 suspects who had been treated in a number of hospitals. So, if counted, there are still eight COVID-19 suspects who are hospitalized and are waiting for the test results.

As for the intent of the suspects are those who experience symptoms of contracting the virus but their conditions are still not positive or negative. Regarding imported cases, Yurianto explained, they came from three countries that had previously been infected with the COVID-19 virus.

However, he did not want to explain further the names of these countries. Of the dozens of cases, Yurianto then explained that they are currently undergoing isolation in hospitals both in Jakarta and outside Jakarta.