Top 10 Regencies/Cities with the Highest Percentage of Suspect Examinations per Week (Monday, December 12, 2022)

Based on national Covid-19 data, 145 regencies/cities aggressively conducted weekly suspect testing exceeding the national average. As of Monday, December 12, 2022, the national average was 12.84 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, subsequently reported to the Ministry of Health.

The top five, starting from the highest, are Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, Banggai Laut, Tidore Islands City, and Boven Digoel, with ratios of 93.86 percent, 85.3 percent, 84.21 percent, 83.1 percent, and 81.71 percent, respectively.

Simalungun ranks first. With a population of 877,710, its weekly suspect testing percentage is 93.86 percent. The latest positive rate is 7.17 percent. The positive rate in this region has decreased compared to the previous week.

Next is Mandailing Natal. This region has a population of 460,360. In efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the weekly suspect testing percentage is 85.3 percent. The positive rate in this region is 0.28 percent, also down from the previous week.

Furthermore, the weekly suspect testing percentage in Banggai Laut is 84.21 percent; Tidore Islands City, with a population of 101,620, recorded a weekly suspect testing percentage of 83.1 percent; and Boven Digoel recorded 81.71 percent.

In anticipation of the Omicron impact in various regions, based on national Covid-19 data recapitulation, 152 regencies/cities in Indonesia actively reported higher weekly suspect testing percentages than before. Meanwhile, 193 other regencies/cities recorded lower weekly suspect testing percentages compared to the previous week.

Some of the regions outside Java with the highest weekly suspect testing percentages include Simalungun, Mandailing Natal, and Banggai Laut, with weekly suspect testing percentages of 93.86 percent, 85.3 percent, and 84.21 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.