Top 10 Regencies/Cities with the Highest Percentage of Suspect Examinations per Week (Monday, December 26, 2022)

Anticipating the impact of the continuously rising Omicron variant, 155 regencies/cities aggressively conducted suspect testing, with a weekly percentage exceeding the national average. Data as of Monday, December 26, 2022, shows the national average testing rate at 11.08 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, then reported to the Ministry of Health.

The top five, starting from the highest, are Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, Tidore Islands City, Balangan, and Padang Lawas, with ratios of 93.06 percent, 86.53 percent, 85.9 percent, 78.77 percent, and 72 percent, respectively.

Simalungun ranks first. With a population of 877,710, the weekly suspect testing percentage is 93.06 percent. The latest positive rate is 5.26 percent. The positive rate in this region has decreased compared to the previous week's ratio.

Next is Mandailing Natal. The region's population is 460,360. In an effort to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, the weekly suspect testing percentage is 86.53 percent. The positive rate in this region is 0.36 percent, an increase compared to the previous week's percentage.

Then, Tidore Islands City, with a population of 101,620, recorded a weekly suspect testing percentage of 85.9 percent. Balangan recorded 78.77 percent, and Padang Lawas, with a population of 305,310, recorded 72 percent.

Anticipating the impact of Omicron in various regions, based on a national COVID-19 data recapitulation, 178 regencies/cities in Indonesia actively reported a higher weekly percentage of suspect testing than before. Meanwhile, 137 other regencies/cities recorded a lower weekly suspect testing percentage compared to the previous week.

Some of the regions outside Java with the highest weekly suspect testing percentage ratios include Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, and Tidore Islands City, with weekly suspect testing percentages of 93.06 percent, 86.53 percent, and 85.9 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 suppressing the spread of the coronavirus.