Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia added 2,577 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with Jakarta reporting the most cases at 1,276, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force reported.

According to data received from the task force here on Tuesday, after Jakarta, the provinces that recorded the most cases were West Java (555 cases), Banten (324), East Java (159), and Bali (84).

With the additional cases on Tuesday, Indonesia’s total COVID-19 case tally since the first case was reported in March 2020 touched 6,097,928.

Meanwhile, the task force’s data showed that 1,691 patients recovered from the virus on Tuesday, taking the total number of recoveries to 5,923,808.

The provinces that recorded the highest recoveries were Jakarta, with 892 recoveries, followed by West Java (428), East Java (117), Banten (83), and Bali (49).

Related news: Deputy Governor presses for stringent adherence to health protocols

Indonesia also recorded 8 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, taking the overall fatalities to 156,766.

Meanwhile, the number of active cases swelled by 878 compared to the previous day to reach 17,354.

The number of specimens tested on Tuesday was pegged at 91,018, with the positivity rate reaching 5.38 percent.

In view of the surge in COVID-19 cases in several regions, the government is planning to make booster vaccination a travel requirement, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Mohammad Syahril, informed earlier.

"The President has stated it (making the booster vaccine a travel requirement). We do not want to enter the previous case again that caused a surge in sick people," he added.

The increase in the number of daily cases to more than one thousand has come as a warning of a spike that could threaten public health, especially with the emergence of the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, Syahril said.

Related news: BA.4, BA.5 make up 81 percent of Indonesia's COVID-19 cases: Minister
Related news: Booster vaccine necessitated as travel requirement amid rising cases




Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022