Those new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Sorong City and the districts of Fakfak, Sorong, and Manokwari, spokesperson of the West Papua COVID-19 Task Force, Arnold Tiniap, noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here on Monday.
The largest number of COVID-19 cases in West Papua arose in Manokwari District and Sorong City, with 3,556 and 3,265 cases respectively, according to Tiniap.
"Despite their relatively high infection rates, the recovery rates of Manokwari and Sorong are also high enough," he remarked, adding that 9,204 of the 9,464 COVID-19 patients in West Papua had fully recovered from the novel coronavirus disease.
Meanwhile, 175 patients had succumbed to the deadly virus. In a bid to stem the infection rate, the local people's active participation in COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts is deemed highly indispensable, he remarked.
"We are optimistic of them playing an active role in reducing the tally of positive cases by consistently implementing the government's mandated health protocols," Tiniap emphasized.
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Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and thereafter spread across the world, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Indonesia announced its first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have worked incessantly to flatten the coronavirus curve through the imposition of health protocols and social restrictions.
To contain the transmission of COVID-19, which has shrunk the purchasing power of Indonesian families, the government also placed a ban on homebound travel, or "mudik," before the Eid al-Fitr holiday season for two successive years.
However, on account of the recent Eid al-Fitr festivities, COVID-19 cases in Indonesia could peak by mid-June this year, according to Vice Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono’s projection.
Currently, Indonesia's total COVID-19 case count has surpassed 1.9 million.
As part of the efforts to tackle the pandemic, which has acutely impacted public health and the economy, the Indonesian government unveiled a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, to contain infections.
The Indonesian Health Ministry is targeting to vaccinate 181.5 million people to build herd immunity against the virus, a task projected to take about 15 months. (INE)
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Translator: HA Kapisa, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
