ndonesia has recorded its biggest surge of COVID-19 cases with 1,331 new confirmed cases on Thursday, a day after the country officially surpassed Singapore with the highest number of infections in the Southeast Asia region.
The figure was the largest increase in cases within 24 hours since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced the first cases in the country on March 2.
The spike brought the total number of infections to 42,762 cases with 63 fatalities, the second-highest recorded death toll in a day following 64 deaths on Monday, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday, adding that 16,789 people have recovered from the highly infectious respiratory disease.
Read also: Indonesia records new daily highs in cases during transition to 'new normal'
The country also managed to hit more than 20,000 swab tests per day on Thursday.
“Today we tested a total of 20,650 specimens,” Health Ministry Disease Control and Prevention Director Gen. Achmad Yurianto said during the daily press briefing on Thursday.
East Java, the new epicenter of the outbreak in Indonesia, reported most cases with 384 new daily cases, followed by capital city Jakarta with 173 cases, South Sulawesi 166 cases, South Kalimantan 118 cases and Bali 66 cases.
Cases have been reported in 435 regencies and municipalities spread over all 34 provinces.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.