Despite Fluctuating COVID-19 Cases, Ministry Of Health Reminds Vigilance Is The Main Key To Handling

Illustration of the location of the COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia. (Antara)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Mohammad Syahril stressed that vigilance is the main key for Indonesia in dealing with the ups and downs of COVID-19 cases.

"So one word is joint vigilance, meaning that the public or the government must be vigilant. What we have to be aware of is to do and prevent transmission and secondly to control it,” said Syahril in the 'Healthy Broadcast with Doctor Reisa' which was broadcasted on Monday, July 4.

Syahril said that the fluctuations or ups and downs of COVID-19 cases were natural and needed to be addressed as part of the dynamics of the pandemic.

In Indonesia in June 2022, he said, positive cases again scored the highest number of more than 2,000 cases. However, in recent days, the number of cases has returned to more than 1,000 cases.

“So in four consecutive days, that figure is already below 2,000. The latest (as of today) is 1,434 cases. On the one hand, we still have to be vigilant, going up isn't much then it goes up and down too. Moreover, the number of people being treated in hospitals is still low," he said, according to Antara.

He added that DKI Jakarta was one of the provinces that had to be really alert to the fluctuating case phenomenon, considering that the number of cases and hospital occupancy (BOR) was among the highest compared to other areas even though Jakarta's death rate was zero.

"Our form of vigilance still has to be tightened because there are times when this will still go up and down at the same time there are new sub-variants," he said.

Vigilance, according to him, must also be carried out through COVID-19 vaccination activities which still need to be increased. Based on the Ministry of Health's records, the first dose of vaccination in Indonesia has reached 96.1 percent, the second or complete dose is 81.3 percent, and the booster dose is around 24 percent.

Syahril emphasized that the booster can provide antibody protection to every individual in society to recognize and fight various viruses that come from outside. The vaccine also maintains diminished antibody formation five months after the last injection.

Through vaccinations that are reinforced with health protocols such as the correct use of masks and diligent hand washing behavior, Syahril said that each party can protect the people around them from various outbreaks of a disease, as well as relieve the symptoms of people affected by the virus.

“This healthy lifestyle is a necessity, not an obligation. Healthy living and healthy behaviors are a necessity not only for COVID-19, but for all infectious diseases that we currently hear about, such as monkey pox, then hepatitis and others," he concluded.