"The positivity rate continues to experience a downward trend, and now, it is 6.97 percent, close to the WHO recommendation," Harbuwono stated during a press conference monitored online on Monday night.
The deputy health minister noted that the government will continue to step up contact tracing in a bid to reduce the positivity rate.
"Tracing until now has reached 7.98 percent. This tracing can reach around 10, which means every one positive case is traced to 10 close contacts," he explained.
Harbuwono later confirmed that the positivity rate in some areas had decreased, while in some areas, it is still high.
"More optimal tracing activities are expected to be conducted in areas with a high positivity rate. Hence, when the cases have started to dip, we could avoid the subsequent case surge that may be more severe," he remarked.
He also drew attention to a new strain of the coronavirus called the Mu variant, calling on all parties to stay alert for this new variant and also for the previous strain, the Delta variant.
"The new variant will always mutate, and the longer this pandemic lasts, more the virus will modify and mutate," he affirmed.
Harbuwono expects the Mu variant to have abortive properties akin to the Lambda variant that had struck Peru some time ago.
"We have just experienced the Delta variant, and now, there is a Mu variant. Hopefully, this variant would have abortive properties akin to the Lambda ones in Peru," he noted.
Harbuwono emphasized that the Mu variant of COVID-19 had struck Colombia. According to a laboratory finding, the Mu variant has resistance to the vaccine.
"However, that is in a laboratory context and not in an epidemiological context. However, the spread is not as rapid as transmission from the Delta variant," he added.
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Translator: Zubi M, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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