The Horror Of The Second Wave Of COVID-19 Now: Soaring 5-Fold In Just 6 Weeks

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Indonesia is facing a second wave crisis of spikes in COVID-19 cases. Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that the current second wave is more severe than the first

"Last week, Indonesia recorded a very high daily number of positive cases, even setting a new record, namely the highest daily cases during the pandemic, an increase of 21,345 cases in one day. This marks the second wave of rising COVID-19 cases in Indonesia," said Wiku in his statement. , Monday, June 29.

Wiku explained, the first wave occurred in January 2021. The weekly number of cases reached 89,902 cases. The rise from the point low of 283 percent of cases and peak in 13 weeks.

While at this second peak, the number of weekly cases was much higher, reaching 125,396 cases. The increase from the lowest case point reached 381 percent or almost 5 times and reached the peak in just 6 weeks.

"In fact, Indonesia had experienced a decline in cases since the first peak, which was for 15 weeks with a total decline of up to 244 percent," said Wiku.

Wiku said, the spike in the second wave of cases occurred because there were still many people who went home for Eid despite being banned. In addition, the emergence of a new variant of COVID-19 also exacerbates the condition because it is able to spread more quickly.

Conditions that are the impact of this long holiday period can be seen until the sixth week after Eid al-Fitr and may still be seen until the eighth week.

"The increase that started one week after the Eid holiday period shows the impact caused by the long holiday can actually occur very quickly," explained Wiku.

"Initially, the increase looked normal and not too significant. However, entering the 4th-week post-holiday period, the increase increased sharply and lasted for three weeks until it reached the second peak in the last week," he added.

Four provinces contributed the most to the spike in cases

Wiku said DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, and East Java were the four biggest provinces in the spike in COVID-19 cases, both in the first and second waves.

Meanwhile, one province that contributed greatly to the increase in the first wave of COVID-19 cases, namely South Sulawesi, was replaced by DI Yogyakarta in the second wave.

“The community, especially in this province, must contribute in suppressing the surge in COVID-19 cases. Handling efforts are collective efforts. For this reason, community initiatives in suppressing and controlling cases are very important,” explained Wiku.