Coordinating Minister For Human Development And Culture Says COVID-19 Deaths Not The Main Thing In Indonesia

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said that currently COVID-19 is only ranked 14th as the disease that causes death in Indonesia.

"Now the death toll from COVID-19 is not the highest among existing diseases. Even from the results of a small survey conducted by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, (COVID-19) is ranked 14th," said Muhadjir at the Vice Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday. May 11th.

Based on data from the COVID-19 Task Force as of May 10, 2022, the number of patients who died from COVID-19 increased by 20 to a total of 156,416 since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia in March 2020.

"Of the existing diseases, the highest is cancer, then there is coronary heart, including stroke, then non-specific pneumonia. Now this COVID-19 who died has been ranked 14th, so it is no longer a threat if it is affected, but we also remain careful because it is still deadly," added Muhadjir.

The government, according to Muhadjir, is also preparing to make a transition from a pandemic to an endemic.

"Essentially, judging from the number of cases, how many active cases, then the hospital occupancy rate, then the death rate and from some of those indicators, actually de facto is heading to endemic," said Muhadjir.

Muhadjir said the government was still looking at the condition of COVID-19 cases after the Eid holiday.

"The bet is that after the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in 2 or 3 weeks there will be no increase in cases, so we are optimistic that we will soon enter the transition to endemic," added Muhadjir.

However, he acknowledged that there are still many things that the government does not know regarding the handling of COVID-19.

"There are so many rooms or gray areas that we cannot know. There are still many areas that have question marks and there is nothing else, so in the end, we also depend on God's hands, right," said Muhadjir.

Muhadjir also said that the government would continue to implement 100 percent Face-to-face Learning (PTM) as stated in the Circular (SE) from the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) Number 3 of 2022 concerning Adjustment to the Implementation of Joint Decrees of 4 Ministers on Guidelines for Implementation of Learning in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"If this is the case for now, so if conditions continue like this, thankfully it decreases, then there is no reason to change PTM's policy," added Muhadjir.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the government cannot decide whether to change the status of COVID-19 from pandemic to endemic.

"From a pandemic to an endemic, because this is at a global level, we cannot decide on our own, what is clear is that we have to see what other countries are like because the transmission between countries is very high," said Budi Gunadi.

In addition, Budi Gunadi said that the decision to change the status of the pandemic to endemic was not merely considering health factors.

"But there are other factors such as social, cultural, political, economic. I think it is important that we make the best possible preparations so that if this transition occurs we are ready," added Budi.

He emphasized that the most important thing at this time was education on health responsibilities, including wearing masks, conducting self-tests and other things.

"The responsibility for health care that is owned and understood by the community is the best characteristic for transition readiness, so there has been no final decision," said Budi.