"Is Indonesia already in the endemic stage? I will answer yes. (This is) because the positivity rate is stable, at below three percent. The hospital bed occupancy and mortality rates are also very low," Djoerban noted on Wednesday.
He remarked that for more than two years, the people were familiar with the word "pandemic," and now, they were also accustomed to the terms "transition" and "endemic."
Djoerban, who works as an internal medicine specialist in hematology-oncology, remarked that the current COVID-19 situation has triggered various responses from the public, with many of them asking whether Indonesia had entered the endemic stage or was still transitioning.
Responding to the question, he noted that the condition of the daily count of COVID-19 cases in the country was currently good.
"Entering June, (the number of) COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was always below 400. This is very good as compared to the United States, which has declared the disease to have become endemic, but the cases are still 70 thousand per day," he pointed out.
Regarding vaccination, he said the target for the adult age group has reached more than 70 percent.
"However, we need to accelerate vaccination for the elderly. The number for booster vaccinations is also promising. Compared to other countries, our vaccination coverage is quite good," Djoerban noted.
In comparison with the situation of neighboring countries, the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is still far below the average of Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and especially North Korea, which is currently ranked first in the world.
Although the transmission rate in Indonesia tends to slow down, Djoerban admitted to a decline in COVID-19 tests in Indonesia.
"That is true. However, this can be confirmed with the bed occupancy ratio (BOR). If the patient is in a severe condition due to COVID-19, he must go to the hospital. In fact, the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital is low. Our weekly positivity rate is also good," Djoerban stated.
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He said that the 2022 Eid al-Fitr homecoming, which was forecast to trigger a further wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, did not cause a spike in cases.
However, a month after Eid, the spike in cases did not occur. Djoerban emphasized that Indonesia had entered the endemic phase.
He still reminded all parties that COVID-19 was a dynamic disease.
"It is very dynamic, so there is still the possibility of an increase. We must remain vigilant and obey health protocols," he reminded.
He added that COVID-19 will linger on in the community for a long time, with a possible spike in cases as well.
"COVID-19 is still around us. However, since most of us have been fully vaccinated, we may only experience cough and cold when infected," he stated.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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