Jakarta's COVID-19 Deaths Rise, Health Office Please Vaccinate The Children's Booster Below 12 Years Of Availability

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JAKARTA - Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Immunization Section of the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Ngabila Salama, said that there had been a slight increase in the death rate of COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks. Based on data from the DKI Health Office, in the period January 23-29, 2023, there were 3 deaths in Jakarta with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.61 percent. Then, on January 30-February-5, there were 4 deaths with CFR 0.77. Furthermore, on February 6-12 there were 6 deaths with CFR 0.83 percent. Then, on February 13-19 there were 6 deaths with CFR 0.95 percent. "CFR is almost 1 percent or 1 in 100 people diagnosed (exposed to COVID-19 cases) died. This means that missing cases (unrecorded cases) in high fields," Ngabila told reporters, Monday, February 20. Data on COVID-19 deaths in DKI Jakarta in 2022 shows that 85 percent of people who have died have been more than 6 months since the last vaccine and the majority have never been in a booster. In addition, 90 percent have comorbidities and 95 percent are over 40 years of age. Ngabila said that this condition needs to be monitored for the next four weeks because there is a trend of increasing cases and deaths. He revealed that all those who died aged 40 years and over had not had the fourth dose of vaccine. "Hopefully the vaccine for children under 12 years old will soon exist to prevent MIS-C (ultisticsystem inflammatory syndrome in children) or longcovid and death. The fourth dose of vaccination 18 years and over can increase antibodies 3 times compared to those that have not and prevent longcovid and death," he explained. Furthermore, Ngabila emphasized that the key to controlling COVID-19 is to maintain that people's immunity continues to be at a good level. "The booster vaccination can double the number of antibodies in our bodies to kill the COVID-19 virus that has entered the body," he added.