"We found two positive COVID-19 deaths in December 2023 after previously no mortality cases for two months in a row," head of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Immunization Department of the DKI Jakarta Health Service, Ngabila Salama, stated on Monday.
The two mortality cases included an 81-year-old woman, with comorbid condition of hypertension, and had received the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The second case was a 91-year-old woman, with stroke and heart failure comorbidity, and no history of COVID-19 vaccination.
In addition, the health service found 80 positive cases of COVID-19 from November 27 to December 3, 2023, in Jakarta. Out of the 80 cases, 90 percent were mildly symptomatic, while the remaining 10 percent had moderate symptoms and were undergoing treatment in hospitals.
"Conditions are very under control. The EG.4 and EG.5 sub variants are still dominating COVID-19 cases in Jakarta, with 14 cases each," Salama revealed.
She explained that the government declared COVID-19 as endemic in the country in June 2023. This means that each person is responsible for his or her own health.
She noted that until now, the public do not need to limit activities.
Earlier, the health service stated that residents aged 50 years and above must have completed the COVID-19 vaccination dosage, with four doses, to prevent the virus transmission that has caused a spike in cases since November.
As pre-elderly people have the potential to be included in the category with severe COVID-19 symptoms, they need to complete the vaccination to strengthen their immune system, Salama said.
The DKI Jakarta Health Service has also confirmed a spike in COVID-19 cases since last month starting from November 13, 2023.
Until December 3, 2023, the number of COVID-19 positive cases increased by 30 to 40 percent from the previous week.
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Translator: Siti Nurhaliza, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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