Patient 01, 02, 03, And So On

Illustration (Raga Granada/YOU)

Today, one day before a year, since President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) announced the first COVID-19 case in Indonesia. A 61-year-old mother and her child (31) who live in Depok, West Java stated as positive. Since then other cases have come to light. Welcome to the inaugural article of VOI's Article Series, "A Year of Pandemic, A Million Positives."

When this article was compiled, Monday afternoon, March 1, 2021, COVID-19 cases in Indonesia had reached 1,334,634. Of that number, 1,142,703 people recovered. 155,765 are still being treated. The rest, 36,166 lives failed to be saved.

Sita Tyasutami is patient 01. Her identity was covered up when she was first announced as a COVID-19 patient. Sita's mother, Maria Darmaningsih became patient 02. Both cases were announced on the same day. Meanwhile, patient 03, Sita's older sister, Ratri Anindyajati, was later identified with COVID-19.

Jokowi, in a press conference at the Merdeka Palace, stated that Indonesia is ready to handle COVID-19. Together with Jokowi, were former Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.

"From the start, the government has really prepared more than a hundred hospitals with good isolation rooms," Jokowi said that day.

Minister of Health Terawan explained the details of this transmission. According to Terawan, the first infection occurred in Sita, who was dancing with a Japanese citizen on February 14, 2020. After the dance on Valentine's night, Sita had a prolonged cough and finally tested positive for COVID-19 on February 28, 2020.

The problem was, the identification of the new coronavirus was confirmed after the Japanese citizen informed Sita that the Japanese national had tested positive for COVID-19 by a hospital in Malaysia. Something's wrong here.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto (Source: Seskab)

First, the virus was not identified from the start. This has implications for the treatment of the two patients who were carried out outside the isolation room. Imagine, what happens if Japanese citizens never call?

This weakness was admitted by Achmad Yurianto, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health who is also a spokesman for the COVID-19 Task Force to VOI. He acknowledged the delay in identifying the coronavirus in the patient's body.

"Indeed, if there is no telephone, we will find out more later. Even later... If there was no telephone, perhaps the hospital that treated it would not immediately move it," he said at the Ministry of Health's Office on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

There are several reasons according to Yuri to be an obstacle for the authority to identify. First, Sita did not realize that she had contracted the virus. She did not know the Japanese who danced with her had been exposed. Second, what many people also feel is that the symptoms of COVID-19 are basically similar to several other diseases.

Even so, Yuri refused to be called neglect. According to her, after receiving information from a third party, Mitra Keluarga Hospital immediately took action to transfer the two patients to Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital. "But, when there was information, there was contact tracking, then the hospital that treated it immediately moved it," said Yuri.

Recovered 01, 02, 03, and another story

Friday, March 13, 2020, Sita and Ratri were declared cured of COVID-19. The two of them were immediately allowed to go home. They recovered earlier than their mother, Maria. Three days later, good news from Maria followed. She was declared cured of COVID-19. In a press conference at the Media Center for the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Sita shared a number of things.

According to Sita, the coronavirus attack also hit her psychologically. She was under stress, especially when her case began to be discussed by the mass media. Sita said that she had dropped due to mental pressure and depression. Then at one point, Sita realized that positive thoughts were an important key to fighting COVID-19. In the days that followed, the narrative of handling COVID-19 targeted the issue of victim discrimination and concentrated mass concentration on optimism.

Infographics (Raga Granada/VOI)

On the day Sita, Ratri, and Maria announced their joint recovery, the authorities had recorded 69 positive cases. Four people died up to that day. The first COVID-19 patient to die domestically was patient number 25, a 53-year-old woman. She died less than 24 hours after her health status was announced. The spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force Achmad Yurianto at that time explained that the patient was a foreign national.

The transmission of patient 25, said Yuri, came from imported cases. Not related to any cluster that had been recorded at that time. Yuri also explained that the patient's main cause of death was a serious illness, such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, and pulmonary obstruction. The disease has been suffered for a long time. "This patient is admitted to the hospital already with a serious illness. Because there is an illness factor that preceded her," said Yuri.

This statement became the official version of the government at that time. However, actually on March 3, 2020, at the time when Jokowi announced the case of Sita and Maria, Acting Regent of Cianjur, Herman Suherman, had already stated that a suspected COVID-19 patient had died in his area. Herman was later reprimanded by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD. Herman was called by Mahfud had spread random news.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

To make matters worse, the central government asked local governments to be silent. The full authority is in the hands of the central government. However, recently, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil confirmed the death as a COVID-19 case. It was confirmed that the victim's wife and children were in an infected condition. Mahfud was silenced up, no longer responded.

One month after Sita and Maria's cases were announced, a man in North Sumatra was listed as the first COVID-19 patient to experience two COVID-19 infections: Ori Kurniawan. He is an aide to the Deputy Governor of North Sumatra Musa Rajekshah (Ijeck). Ori was positive before being declared cured on April 6.

Ori had undergone independent isolation for 14 days after being declared cured. He also had time to return to Aceh after being declared cured. However, on May 4 Ori again tested positive for COVID-19. North Sumatra COVID-19 Task Force spokesman Aris Yudhariansyah mentioned two possibilities for how someone could catch COVID-19 twice.

"Yes. There are two possibilities, firstly reinfection or reactivation," said Aris Yudhariansyah, Tuesday, May 5. Aris suspects that Ori is reinfected. Ori was then taken to Martha Friska Hospital in Medan for another treatment.

To date, COVID-19 has infected more than a million people. COVID-19 also spreads to various other aspects of life. The economy is in shambles. The social situation is shaky. The government is required to remain focused on making the right policies.

Follow this edition of the Article Series: A Year of Pandemic, A Million Positives