"We are expected to be able to anticipate an increase in cases, anticipate the increase of inpatients or deaths, and so on," the ministry's spokesperson Mohammad Syahril stated at a media briefing that was followed online on Friday.
According to him, data related to COVID-19 indicators as of December 1, 2022, showed a fluctuating trend. On Thursday (December 1), daily confirmed cases reached 4,977 while the average for the week stood at 5,025 cases, reflecting a decline of 21.02 percent.
Even though positive cases have decreased, daily fatalities have risen to 54 as of December 1, while the average death in the week has been recorded at 46, or an increase of 16.42 percent.
Currently, the bed occupancy rate (BOR) at hospitals is 10.90 percent, and as of yesterday, Indonesia's daily positivity rate stood at 11.95 percent.
Thus, he stressed that even when entering the Christmas and New Year's holidays, all parties must comply with the health protocols, such as maintaining a safe distance, because COVID-19 transmissions still exist.
According to him, because previous experiences have shown that an increase in COVID-19 cases always occurs at the end of the year, all people are expected to complete their vaccinations to build better immunity and prevent severe symptoms.
On that occasion, he also underlined that there is no certainty yet regarding when the WHO will announce COVID-19 as an endemic. Thus, he noted that it is better to ensure that the situation remains stable for the next three to six months ahead.
The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 2, the nation has recorded 6,674,000 COVID-19 cases, 6,458,238 recoveries, and 159,921 deaths.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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