COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise a Week Before Christmas 2023

Based on data from the Ministry of Health's (Kemenkes) Emerging Infections website, Covid-19 cases in Indonesia continued to rise until a week before Christmas 2023.

Previously, throughout November 2023, there were only around 7-40 confirmed Covid-19 cases added per day nationally. Then, at the beginning of December 2023, the number increased to over 100 cases per day.

Even in the period of December 12-17, 2023, the increase in cases rose again to the range of 200-350 cases per day, as seen in the graph.

Despite this, the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control (Ditjen P2P) of the Kemenkes stated that this 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 Kemenkes team in its press release on Sunday (17/12/2023).

According to Ditjen P2P, the increase in Covid-19 cases in December 2023 also occurred in several neighboring countries, such as Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

The increase in cases domestically is dominated by the Omicron XBB 1.5 subvariant, which is also the cause of the Covid-19 infection wave in Europe and the United States.

In response to this situation, the Kemenkes urged the public to anticipate the spread of Covid-19 by:

* Wearing masks, especially for those who are sick or when in high-risk public places.
* Getting checked immediately if symptoms appear. If the result is positive, self-isolate.
* Postponing travel to countries or regions experiencing an increase in cases. If postponement is not possible, strictly adhere to health protocols.