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Arcturus-fueled case spike follows extended Idul Fitri holiday
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Millions of people visit their hometowns during the Idul Fitri holiday. (Unsplash/Fikri Rasyid) (Unsplash/Fikri Rasyid)
I
ndonesia is seeing another spike of COVID-19 cases fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Arcturus subvariant and greater public mobility during the annual Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) season.
Authorities reported 2,647 new infections on Wednesday, the highest daily caseload in five months, and 15,707 active cases. Last week, there were 12,504 new cases, almost double the figure in the previous week with 6,371 new cases.
Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said that the increase in cases had also led to an increase in hospital bed occupancy rates across the country.
"Out of 42,293 available hospital beds nationwide, 8.1 percent are occupied, with around five major hospitals across the country seeing more than a 50 percent increase in patient numbers," Syahril said in a statement on Thursday.
According to data from the ministry, as per Wednesday, there were 2,696 people being treated in hospitals for COVID-19, with 140 of them receiving intensive care.
Read also: Jokowi urges public to get vaccinated ahead of Idul Fitri
Ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that the surge in new infections would likely peak by the middle or the end of this month, although she did not mention the number of estimated cases.
