On Monday (2 March), a country with over 200 million people – Indonesia – reported their first cases of Covid-19, according to The Straits Times (ST).
President Joko Widodo confirmed that 2 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.
This comes after scrutiny over how Indonesia has only tested 143 people as of 29 Feb.
In Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed that 3 people who visited the country last month tested positive for the virus on 1 Mar.
The 2 cases are a 64-year-old and her 31-year-old daughter. They apparently came in contact with a Japanese citizen who had visited Indonesia in early Feb, reports ST.
This Japanese citizen tested positive for Covid-19 on 27 Feb in Malaysia.
Both the Indonesian patients live in Depok, West Java, and are receiving treatment at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Jakarta.
Contact tracing led authorities to the pair, whom they subsequently isolated and tested. Their results came back positive.
The world has been watching as a country of over 200 million people and a top destination for Chinese tourists continuously reported a grand total of 0 Covid-19 cases.
Not that we wish for the reverse, but it just seems odd in a time when other countries are reporting numerous cases, including close neighbours.
The government allegedly didn’t even test 237 citizens evacuated from Wuhan and other Chinese cities back in February, reported The Jakarta Post.
Meanwhile, the 143 people who the government tested on 29 Feb all reported back negative.
Despite the apparent slow detection, Mr Joko assures that Indonesia is ready to manage Covid-19, with over 100 hospitals available.
ST quotes his statement that the isolation rooms there are of high quality, with “equipment that meets international standards.”
Now that Indonesia has officially confirmed the existence of Covid-19, we hope that they can work to contain the spread.
With proper equipment and safety measures, curbing the spread of the virus will hopefully be manageable.
We wish the 2 Indonesian patients a smooth recovery.
Featured image adapted from Kremlin and AFP.
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