"This is important to consider if you experience a symptom or have a close contact," Head of the Jakarta Health Office's Immunization Surveillance Section Ngabila Salama stated here, Wednesday.
"Immediately undergo free PCR test in the nearest sub-district puskesmas (public health center)," she emphasized.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic situation that is under control within the last week, Salama said that the positive and death case trend continues to increase, but it tends to decline.
However, based on the examination figure, health test through PCR tends to decline when entering the Eid al-Fitr period.
This is despite the fact that it requires four to eight weeks to see the potential of cases arising due to the Arcturus subvariant or to see whether it will dominate other cases and cause a case peak.
This is deemed crucial since the first Arcturus case was found in an international traveler, who had traveled to India on March 23, 2023.
"Thus, we need to carry out case monitoring for the next two to four weeks," she affirmed.
"Prevent hospitalization and death with PCR early detection if you have symptoms, routinely drink medicine, especially if you suffer from comorbidities and are from the elderly group and complete vaccination soon," she stressed.
As a form of early anticipation, the PCR test should be done as soon as possible if people experience symptoms in the form of cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, and red eyes.
PCR test should also be done for those that have come in close contact with people confirmed to be COVID-19 positive.
According to Salama, if this is not done, this will create a vulnerable condition due to lowered personal protection.
In addition to PCR, the other aspect that she underlines is wearing a mask for personal protection from infection.
This should be done, especially after a major holiday and in crowded places, such as rest areas or public restrooms.
"When the vaccination figure starts to decline, one of our other best efforts in preventing sickness is by stringently wearing a mask, especially while being sick, meeting sick people, or in public transportation," she noted.
"Mask can also be worn for children at the age of two and above," she added.
She also urged the public to not harbor concerns over the prevalence of COVID-19 variants.
To this day, several variants that were discovered, such as Arcturus, are still under the Omnicron family, and there has not been any strong indication that they cause severe symptoms.
Related news: Number of daily COVID-19 recovered cases in Indonesia stands at 841
Related news: Reactivate health protocols to prevent spike in COVID cases: Ministry
Related news: COVID-19 cases still under control: Health Minister
Translator: Hreeloita D S, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
