It will be treated like other infectious disease, or other disease related to bacteria, viruses, and fungi
Malang (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said that corona virus disease (COVID-19) would be treated as an ordinary disease once the government change its status from pandemic to endemic disease.

"Endemic is a condition where the disease is still around but no longer becomes epidemic. It will be treated like any other infectious disease, or other disease related to bacteria, viruses, and fungi," Effendy noted in Malang, East Java, on Saturday night (May 21), responding to the decrease in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

The government has prepared the transition of COVID-10 to become an endemic disease following the declining cases in the country, he said.

The current number of active cases, positivity rate, hospital occupancy rate, and COVID-19 death rate are no longer becoming the highest among other diseases, he added.

Based on an internal survey conducted by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture at 18 hospitals in Jakarta in February 2022, COVID-19 death rate was ranked 14th compared to other diseases in Indonesia such as cancer, pneumonia, non-specific pneumonia, and kidney disease.

Furthermore, Effendy said that the financing and treatment scheme for COVID-19 patients would be changed from government funding to the State-owned Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) funding. Treatment for COVID-19 using BPJS will be carried out according to each person's membership.

"If it is declared as an endemic, it will automatically become an ordinary infectious disease. An ordinary infectious disease will receive normal treatment including the financing, which has been subsidized by the government, will be transferred to BPJS," he informed.

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Translator: Endang Sukarelawati, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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