Coronavirus Cases Continue to Surge in East Java, Jakarta
Jakarta. Coronavirus infections are not slowing in Indonesia, which reported 1,447 new cases on Saturday to bring the country’s total to 62,142, according to the National Covid-19 Task Force.
It was the second highest one-day rise after a record 1,624 two days earlier. Daily cases have continuously surpasses 1,000 since June 26, as worst-hit provinces like East Java, Jakarta and South Sulawesi remained unable to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease.
To make things worse, Central Java has emerged as new hotspot with surging cases since mid-June.
The country also reported 53 more Covid-19 deaths, taking the total death toll from the disease to 3,089.
Meanwhile, the number of cured Covid-19 patients increased by 651 to a total of 28,219, or 45.4 percent of the total cases.
Turning Point
East Java registered 413 cases in the day, more than any other provinces, and had a total of 13,461 cases, including 996 deaths.
Covid-19 cases also continued to surge in Jakarta, with 223 new cases to take its total to 12,183. However, the capital city has fewer fatalities with a total of 643 deaths as of Saturday.
It also reported a lot more recoveries than East Java, 7,377 against 4,738.
South Sulawesi, the third most-affected province, reported 198 new cases, taking its total to 5,754.
Covid-19 cases have been steadily on the rise in Central Java, with 110 more cases to a total of 4,403.
Only the four provinces reported a three-digit rise on Saturday.
Data from the task force showed that the surge in Central Java began on June 10, when daily cases topped 100 for the first time since the outbreak.
Jakarta saw a plateau in the curve of transmissions in early May, but it began to move upward on June 9.
East Java meanwhile had to deal with the worst situation among the country’s 34 provinces, as the rate of transmission has hardly slowed down since late April.
Experts have suggested that public behavior contributes to East Java’s steady rise in Covid-19 cases, as many people who have had contacts with positive cases remain reluctant to isolate themselves.
The province was relatively late in implementing large-scale social restrictions compared to Jakarta, West Java and Banten.
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