If Specimen Collection Is The Key To Mapping The Distribution Of COVID-19, Then We Are Still Very Far Away

Photo illustration of human movement in Jakarta (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - Government spokesman for the handling of COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto stated that he had received COVID-19 specimens from all parts of Indonesia for further examination. Based on data as of Thursday, April 6, around 14,354 thousand specimen samples have been received.

"On today's date, April 6, until 8 o'clock this morning, we have examined 14,354 more specimens for real-time PCR," said Yuri at Graha BNBP, Jakarta, Tuesday, April 7.

Later, the results of this examination can find out areas that have the potential or enter the red zone for the spread of COVID-19. So, there will be a tail on the countermeasures pattern that will be carried out.

Tens of thousands of specimens also came from related stake holders or hundreds of referral hospitals for handling COVID-19. Both government-owned and private hospitals.

"More than 300 COVID-19 referral hospitals were sent. Both government public hospitals, BUMN hospitals, TNI hospitals, Polri hospitals and private hospitals," said Yuri.

It's just that, the number of tens of thousands of specimens is actually still fairly minimal to map the spread of COVID-19 nationally. This is because, referring to West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil's statement, to find out the distribution map, at least two million Indonesians need to be tested.

Ridwan made the statement to Vice President Ma'ruf Amin via teleconference, on Friday, April 3. "Indonesia has at least two million, sir. That's about it. With two million, the map should be found in its entirety," said Ridwan Kamil.

This figure, Emil said, was based on comparisons with South Korea, which could find out a map of the spread of COVID-19, after conducting tests on 300 thousand people with a population of around 51 million. "That means 0.6 percent. With 0.6 percent, the map was found," he said.

This means that with a population of approximately 250 million people, to find out the distribution map, it is necessary to conduct tests on as many as two million people.