COVID-19 Cases In East Java Decrease, Positivity Rate Is Now Below 5 Percent

ILLUSTRA TION / VOI

SURABAYA - COVID-19 cases in East Java continue to decline. The proof is that the weekly positivity rate in East Java has reached 4.68 percent, below the national level of 6.97 percent.

"Thank God, our weekly positivity rate is now according to WHO, below 5 percent, which is 4.68 percent, even below the national one", said the Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, in Surabaya, Monday, September 6.

The positivity rate is the ratio between the number of positive cases of COVID-19, and the number of tests performed. According to Khofifah, as the positivity rate decreases, there are only four regions in East Java that are currently in the assessment zoning level 4, namely Ponorogo Regency, Magetan Regency, Blitar Regency, and Blitar City from the previous 34 regencies/cities.

"This is the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. This coincides with the zoning of the level 4 assessment area in East Java, only four regencies/cities remain", she said.

Khofifah claims that this achievement is influenced by the massive amount of testing and tracing that is more effective. The standard number of tests set by WHO is 1:1,000 population/week. While the number of testing in East Java has reached 90.045 last week.

"Which means that the number of tests in East Java has reached more than double the WHO standard. Ideally, the minimum testing carried out in East Java is approximately 40.000 tests, but we have managed to achieve more than double the target", he said.

Meanwhile, the tracing ratio of COVID-19 cases in East Java, said Khofifah, also experienced a significant increase from the previous 1.17, now rising to 11.75. This means that the tracing capacity in East Java has increased 10 times.

"It is hoped that in the future this lower positivity rate and higher testing rate, as well as tracing ratio can be maintained. Because this combination has proven to be very effective in reducing the number of COVID-19 spreads in East Java", she said.

According to Khofifah, the combination of the declining positivity rate and the high tracing ratio and testing rate greatly affected the decrease in bed occupancy in hospitals or the Bed Occupancy Rate (BOR) in East Java. Khofifah said the additional BOR in East Java has now dropped to 22.48 percent, far below the WHO standard of 60 percent", she said.

"I ask all parties and the public to remain disciplined in carrying out health protocols, following vaccinations, tracing, and testing, we also continue to improve", she said.