Compared To Previous Conditions, The Bekasi Regency Government Is Now More Prepared To Face The Surge In COVID-19 Cases

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Bekasi Regency Government, West Java, stated that they are currently better prepared to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases because they have experience going through similar conditions before.

Spokesperson for the Bekasi Regency COVID-19 Task Force, Alamsyah, said that the ranks of the health service and health workers in the area had already passed the second wave of exposure when the Delta variant of COVID-19 cases increased in mid-2021.

"We've been through extraordinary cases during the second wave of Delta. We have prepared anticipation. The Governor and the Acting Regent last week have also come to see firsthand the preparations," said Alamsyah in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, quoted from Between, Tuesday 1 February.

He admitted that there is currently a significant spike in COVID-19 cases in Bekasi Regency which began in mid-January 2022.

At that time, only dozens of positive confirmed cases were found, but based on data on Sunday, January 30, the number of active cases increased to 1,711 cases.

"Globally, until the second week of January, around January 16 until now, the rate of increase is very fast. Starting from the second week of January, we return to PPKM level 2. Daily positive cases have increased. As of today, cases have reached more than 1,700. Previously it was only below 100," he said.

Alamsyah said the bed occupancy rate (BOR) is still under control, although the number of daily cases has increased sharply. The majority of patients only self-isolate at home because they are asymptomatic (OTG).

His party admitted that they had prepared adequate facilities including oxygen cylinders and medicines.

"There are only 24 COVID-19 patients being treated at the hospital, 13 of whom are being treated at the hospital. Meanwhile, we have prepared 200 beds. The stocks of medicines and oxygen are also safe," he said.

So far, he said, only one case of the Omicron variant has been identified in Bekasi Regency.

The patient from North Cikarang who was treated since January 11, 2022, was confirmed positive for the Omicron variant on January 27, 2022, but was declared cured on January 28, 2022.

"What I can say is that there is only one case of Omicron. While thousands of others are still waiting for the results of laboratory tests, there are also those whose results have been released and have been confirmed by the old variant of COVID-19," he said.