Top 10 Regencies/Cities with the Highest Percentage of Suspect Examinations per Week (Friday, September 9, 2022)

Unwilling to be caught off guard and continuously striving to curb the spread of Covid-19, currently 158 regencies/cities are aggressively conducting weekly suspect testing percentages above the national average. Data as of Friday, September 9, 2022, shows the national average testing rate at 10.76 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, Tidore Islands City, Banggai Islands, and Pangandaran, with percentages of 90.66 percent, 81.21 percent, 78.45 percent, 73.91 percent, and 73.67 percent, respectively.

Simalungun is ranked first. With a population of 877,710, the weekly suspect testing percentage here is recorded at 90.66 percent. The latest positive rate is 9.91 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 81.21 percent. The positive rate in this region is recorded at 0.43 percent, or higher than the previous week's percentage.

Furthermore, Tidore Islands City recorded 78.45 percent testing, Banggai Islands recorded 73.91 percent, and Pangandaran recorded 73.67 percent for the weekly suspect testing percentage.

Anticipating the impact of Omicron in various regions, based on the recapitulation of national Covid data, there are 177 regencies/cities in Indonesia that actively report a higher daily weekly suspect testing percentage than before. Meanwhile, 163 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 percentages include Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, and Tidore Islands City, with weekly suspect testing percentages of 90.66 percent, 81.21 percent, and 78.45 percent, respectively.

Although Covid-19 transmission in some areas has decreased, the government urges everyone to continue to participate in reducing 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.