A medical staff takes nasal samples to test for COVID-19 for people in Bekasi city, Indonesia. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – The number of new COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is likely to reach its peak in the next 2-3 weeks, according to Abdul Kadir, Director General of Health Services under Indonesia’s Ministry of Health.
Kadir said that new coronavirus cases are increasing in Indonesia due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Notably, on February 9, many people were hospitalised with very severe symptoms.
The Indonesian government urges people to comply with COVID-19 prevention regulations, namely wearing masks, washing hands with soap and maintaining distance when in contact.
The COVID-19 vaccination programme in Indonesia is also being accelerated to create herd immunity. The government has applied social mobility restrictions, locally known as PPKM, from level 1 to level 3 to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
According to the data of the Government's COVID-19 Task Force, on February 10, the country recorded 40,618 new infections, bringing the total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic to more than 4.6 million. Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased by 74 cases, raising the total number of fatalities to 144,858.
To date, 48.5 percent of the eligible population, or 133 million people in Indonesia, have been fully vaccinated./.
