Encouraging To Open Data On The Distribution Of The "Iceberg" COVID-19 Virus In Indonesia

Illustration. (Photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The transmission of the corona virus or COVID-19 in Indonesia has increased. For 11 days, since it was first announced on March 2 until today, there have been 69 positive patients with the corona virus.

The urge to open data on the spread of the corona virus is increasingly being echoed. Because, it is inevitable that the virus originating from the city of Wuhan, China can be said to be an iceberg. That is, from the situation facing Indonesia that is now visible, an even bigger problem is hidden without realizing it.

Chairperson of the COVID-19 Task Force of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) Zubairi Djoerban asked to open data about the travel history of positive patients with the corona virus. This is because the world health agency, WHO, has designated this virus as a global epidemic (pandemic).

"It is very necessary (to open travel history data). Now the problem is that a pandemic is not an ordinary disease problem. If it is a problem of ordinary disease, it should not be opened up. We must overcome something that is in front of our eyes, which will be urgent," said Zubairi at the IDI Office. , Central Jakarta, Friday, March 13.

The Indonesian government, said Zubairi, must reflect on the corona case in Italy. Coronavirus transmission there has quadrupled in six days. On March 1, positive cases of corona in Italy were still 1,228. Then, on March 7, cases rose to 4,636. To date, more than 12 thousand patients have been positive there.

This, due to the lack of prevention from the authorities, that the corona virus had circulated in Italy at the end of January but had not been detected.

"For example, some people have been told that this (area) is closed, they are not allowed to travel. In fact, then they travel to the area. Starting from there, when he comes home, transmitting to many people," he explained.

"So, for health, (data opening) is very necessary, because we have to do contact tracing, trace," he continued.

Separately, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan asked the central government, namely the Ministry of Health to authorize the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to participate in testing the specimen of suspected corona patients. This is because Jakarta is the province with the most positive patients.

"We really hope that the president's direction for coordination with the region will also be carried out by testing not being carried out centrally at Balitbangkes (Kemenkes), but can also be done in Jakarta," said Anies.

To do this, Anies proposed three laboratories, including the DKI Regional Health Laboratory (Labkesda), Eijkman Central Jakarta, and the University of Indonesia (UI) medical faculty microbiology.

The addition of these three laboratories, said Anies, could speed up the process of handling patients who were indicated to have contracted the corona. This is because the number of patients who must be tested continues to grow every day.

"We in Jakarta have the DKI Jakarta Health Laboratory. That status is BSL 2+. BSL 2+ means that the Bio Safety Level is two pluses. Not Bio Security, this is Bio Safety Level. And this can be a companion laboratory," said Anies.

Thus, once there is a patient suspect corona that must be tested, the Provincial Government can immediately test it and get the results, because in one day it can be finished. Then DKI can immediately detect where they are, then determine steps to isolate or restrict the movement of the patient.

"But when testing takes a long time, during that time these individuals have interacted with so many people, the spread occurs. When positive confirmation comes, he has already interacted with so many people," he said.

"We do not have enough time to wait. We have an obligation to protect all. Because it is very important for us to move fast and faster. Therefore, access to testing must be done. Transparency must exist. From there, protection can be done. Without speed , without transparency, it is very difficult for us to be able to prevent transmission, "concluded Anies.