Top 10 Regencies/Cities with the Highest Percentage of Suspect Examinations per Week (Saturday, September 24, 2022)

To curb the spread of COVID-19 in regions, 165 regencies/cities are aggressively conducting weekly suspect testing exceeding the national average. Data as of Saturday, September 24, 2022, shows the national average at 10.41 percent. This suspect testing data is calculated based on the number of suspected individuals and close contacts compared to the total 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, Pangandaran, Tasikmalaya, and Tidore Islands City, with ratios of 92.53 percent, 81.31 percent, 81.06 percent, 79.8 percent, and 78.52 percent, respectively.

Simalungun ranks first. With a population of 877,710, its weekly suspect testing percentage is 92.53 percent. The latest positive rate is 5.05 percent, down from the previous week.

Next is Mandailing Natal. Its population is 460,360. In efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the weekly suspect testing percentage is 81.31 percent. The positive rate in this region is 0 percent, also down from the previous week.

Pangandaran recorded 81.06 percent testing, Tasikmalaya 79.8 percent, and Tidore Islands City, with a population of 101,620, recorded a weekly suspect testing percentage of 78.52 percent.

Anticipating the impact of Omicron in various regions, based on national COVID-19 data recapitulation, 171 regencies/cities in Indonesia actively reported a higher weekly percentage of suspect testing than before. Meanwhile, 168 other regencies/cities recorded a lower weekly suspect testing percentage compared to the previous week.

Regions outside Java with the highest weekly suspect testing percentages include Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, and Tidore Islands City, with weekly suspect testing percentages of 92.53 percent, 81.31 percent, and 78.52 percent, respectively.

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