Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia recorded an additional 2,079 daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, the COVID-19 task force reported.

According to data received from the task force here on Saturday, Jakarta contributed the most COVID-19 cases at 1,596, followed by West Java (375), East Java (188), Banten (183), and Central Java (112).

With the additional infections, the total number of confirmed cases recorded in Indonesia since March 2020 reached 6,407,123.

Jakarta also recorded the most COVID-19 recoveries at 1,596, followed by East Java (208), West Java (196), Banten (175), and North Sulawesi (113).

Overall, nationally, the daily recovery rate increased by 2,681 to bring the total tally to 6,221,389.

Meanwhile, eight people succumbed to the disease on Saturday, with three deaths reported in East Java, two in Jakarta, and one each in North Sulawesi, Bali, and Southeast Sulawesi.

According to the task force, the total number of active cases, including COVID-19 patients who were still undergoing treatment and self-isolation, fell by 610 from the previous day to reach 27,850.

Further, 3,924 suspected cases were detected based on the testing of 53,122 specimens obtained from 26,698 people, which were examined in hundreds of laboratories across Indonesia.

The positivity rate for daily specimens was recorded at 7.25 percent and the daily positivity rate for people at 7.79 percent.

Epidemiologist from Griffith University, Australia, Dicky Budiman, appealed to the public to remain disciplined in following the health protocols, saying the pandemic is not over yet.

“The WHO (World Health Organization) has not revoked the status of a pandemic. We must realize that the presence of sub-variants and even the potential for new variants that are more infectious can take place when some of the populations or countries in the world (fail to take) health protocols (seriously)," Budiman said.

Currently, the nation has seen some decline in COVID-19 infections, but some areas in the world have recorded an increase in cases, such as Japan and even some European countries, he added.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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