The Increase In COVID-19 Cases This Week Is Slowing

Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force Wiku Adisasmito (IST)

JAKARTA - The number of positive cases of COVID-19 continues to increase. However, the Spokesman for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the increase in active cases this week was slower than last week.

"Although positive cases continue to show a sharp increase, if we look at the national active cases, the weekly increase has slowed down", Wiku said on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube video, Tuesday, July 13.

Wiku explained, active cases on June 27 increased 45.52 percent from the previous week. Then, on July 4 it increased 42.15 percent from a week earlier. Now, cases on July 11 increased 27.36 percent from the previous week.

If we look at 34 provinces, it turns out that as many as 16 provinces experienced a slowdown in the increase in active cases. Unfortunately, of the 7 provinces on the island of Java and Bali that implemented Emergency Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM), not all of them showed a slowdown in the increase.

The increase in weekly positive cases in DKI Jakarta the previous week rose by 50 percent and this week it rose by 1.55 percent. Then, West Java the previous week rose 50 percent, this week it rose 36 percent.

The Special Region of Yogyakarta the previous week rose 49 percent, this week it rose 39 percent. In East Java in the previous week rose 51 percent, this week rose 50 percent. Banten in the previous week rose 56 percent, this week rose 30 percent.

Meanwhile, Central Java in the previous week rose 22.36 percent, this week it rose 23.16 percent. Then, Bali in the previous week rose 67.61 percent, this week rose 80.89 percent.

"This increase tends to be lower than in the previous weeks. The slowdown in the increase in active cases occurs because this high increase in positive cases is offset by a high increase in healing as well", said Wiku.

According to Wiku, slowing the increase in cases is important because it shows its ability to fight this pandemic.

If we look at the gap between the increase in positive cases and cures since the spike in cases in the last few weeks, the addition of positive cases is much higher than the addition of daily cures.

However, developments in the last few days show a smaller gap between the addition of positive cases and the addition of cures.

"This is in line with what I said last week that the high number of active cases can be an opportunity to continue to increase the cure rate", he concluded.