Top 10 Regencies/Cities with the Highest Percentage of Suspect Examinations per Week (Thursday, November 17, 2022)

Unwilling to be caught off guard and continuing efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19, currently 159 regencies/cities are aggressively conducting weekly suspect testing percentages above the national average. Data as of Thursday, November 17, 2022, shows the national average testing rate at 13.63 percent. This suspect testing data is calculated based on the number of suspected individuals and close contacts compared to the number of people tested in each region, which is then reported to the Ministry of Health.

The top five, starting from the highest, are Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, Boven Digoel, Tidore Islands City, and Pangandaran, with ratios of 92.4 percent, 82.65 percent, 81.82 percent, 80 percent, and 77.3 percent, respectively.

Simalungun is ranked first. With a population of 877,710, the weekly suspect testing percentage here is recorded at 92.4 percent. The latest positive rate is 6.9 percent. The positive rate in this region has decreased compared to the previous week's ratio.

Next is Mandailing Natal. The population in this region is recorded at 460,360. In an effort to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic, the weekly suspect testing percentage is 82.65 percent. The positive rate in this region is recorded at 0 percent, having decreased compared to the previous week's percentage.

Furthermore, with 81.82 percent testing in Boven Digoel, Tidore Islands City, with a population of 101,620, the weekly suspect testing percentage is recorded at 80 percent, and Pangandaran, with a population of 407,350, the weekly suspect testing percentage is recorded at 77.3 percent.

Anticipating the impact of Omicron in various regions, based on the recapitulation of national Covid data, there are 186 regencies/cities in Indonesia that actively report a higher daily weekly suspect testing percentage than before. Meanwhile, 175 other regencies/cities recorded a lower weekly suspect testing percentage compared to the previous week's testing.

Some of the regions outside Java with the highest weekly suspect testing percentage ratios include Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, and Boven Digoel, with weekly suspect testing percentages of 92.4 percent, 82.65 percent, and 81.82 percent, respectively.

Although Covid-19 transmission has decreased in some areas, the government urges everyone to continue to reduce Covid-19 transmission by always wearing masks, maintaining distance, and frequently washing hands with soap and running water. Avoiding crowds and reducing mobility also contribute to curbing the spread of the coronavirus.