Indonesia's Covid-19 Cases Continue to Rise, Though Not as Sharply as Singapore's

COVID-19 cases surged in Singapore from late November to early December 2023.

According to data from the Singapore Ministry of Health, there were 22,094 COVID-19 cases between November 19-25, 2023. This number increased to 56,043 cases between December 3-9, 2023.

COVID-19 cases in Indonesia are also increasing, although not as significantly as in Singapore.

Based on data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health's Emerging Infections website, throughout November 2023, there were only 7-40 confirmed COVID-19 cases added per day nationally.

However, in early December 2023, this number rose to over 100 cases per day. Then, in the period of December 19-21, 2023, the daily increase continued to rise to the range of 450-480 cases per day, as seen in the graph.

Despite this, the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control (Ditjen P2P) of the Indonesian Ministry of Health stated that the national increase in COVID-19 cases is still considered low.

"This is still far lower than during the pandemic, which reached 50,000 to 400,000 cases per week," said the Ditjen P2P team in a press release on Sunday, December 17, 2023.

In response to this situation, the Indonesian Ministry of Health urges the public to anticipate COVID-19 transmission by:

* Wearing masks, especially those who are sick or in high-risk public places.
* Seeking medical attention if experiencing symptoms. If the result is positive, self-isolate.
* Postponing travel to countries or regions experiencing a surge in cases. If postponement is not possible, strictly adhere to health protocols.