We continue to urge all elements in society, at large, to not ignore the health protocols, as new positive cases still pose serious threatsManokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - West Papua's COVID-19 recovery rate has, until now, been recorded at 95.6 percent of the 9,695 positive cases since the Indonesian government declared the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Apart from its high recovery rate, the disease continues to pose a threat to the province, as it recorded 58 new positive cases over the past 24 hours on Sunday, the West Papua COVID-19 task force revealed.
These new confirmed cases were found in the districts of Manokwari, Teluk Wondama, Sorong, Teluk Bintuni, Fakfak, Kaimana, Raja Ampat, and Manokwari Selatan, as well as Sorong City.
The task force spokesperson, Arnold Tiniap, noted that 23 of the 58 confirmed cases were recorded in Manokwari District, while 14 others were found in Teluk Wondama District.
On Sunday, the task force recorded that seven other COVID-19 patients had made a complete recovery and hence discharged from hospital, Tiniap noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here, Monday.
As of Sunday, 179 locals had succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease. Hence, he urged the public at large to continue to adhere to the mandated health protocols to stem the spread of infections.
"We continue to urge all elements in society, at large, to not ignore the health protocols, as new positive cases still pose serious threats," he emphasized.
West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan also highlighted the importance of maintaining public awareness and care to facilitate the government's endeavors to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate.
"We are all responsible for fighting against COVID-19. The government and task force cannot work alone. We need our people's support and participation in practicing the health protocols," he affirmed.
The COVID-19 outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and thereafter spread across the world, including to nations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government announced the nation's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have striven incessantly to flatten the coronavirus disease curve by applying healthcare protocols and social restrictions.
As part of its efforts to win the fight against COVID-19, the Indonesian government has also been conducting a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.
On Sunday, Indonesia had obtained 10 million doses of Sinovac bulk vaccines to produce vaccines.
As of June 20, 2021, Indonesia had received 104,728,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, comprising 94,500,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine, 8,228,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and two million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.
The Indonesian Health Ministry has pegged the vaccination of some 181.5 million people to take around 15 months.
Apart from its ongoing vaccination program, the government also banned homebound travel, or "mudik," ahead of this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season, akin to the practice followed last year, to break the chain of the spread of COVID-19, which had dampened the purchasing power of families across Indonesia.
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Translator: HA Kapisa, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
