TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

New COVID-19 epicenter East Java has among the lowest testing rates in Indonesia: Health Ministry

East Java has conducted only 1,428 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests per million population, far lower than Jakarta's 21,406 tests per million population. 

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, June 30, 2020

Share This Article

Change Size

New COVID-19 epicenter East Java has among the lowest testing rates in Indonesia: Health Ministry East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa (left) and Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini (right) speak at a press conference on large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) on April 19. (Antara/Moch Asim)

T

he Health Ministry revealed on Monday that East Java, Indonesia's new COVID-19 epicenter, had one of the lowest testing rates compared to other provinces even as it continues to record the highest number of daily new cases. 

Health Ministry disease control and prevention director general Achmad Yurianto said in his daily press briefing that East Java had conducted only 1,428 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests per million population, far lower than Jakarta's 21,406 tests per million population. 

Other provinces also had significantly higher testing rates, like West Sumatra (7,168), Bali (7,151) and Papua (4,436).

“This means that East Java needs to do even more massive PCR laboratory testing," Yurianto said.

Read also: 'Stop blaming us': Surabaya mayor kneels down and cries over rising case number

East Java has recently emerged as the new epicenter for COVID-19 in Indonesia after surpassing the number of confirmed cases recorded by Jakarta last week.

According to the official government count, the province has recorded a total of 11,805 positive cases, with 863 deaths as of Monday, the highest in the country. Jakarta, which has long held the top spot, came in second with 11,237 confirmed cases and 625 deaths. 

East Java also reported the most daily cases on Monday with 297 new cases, followed by Central Java and South Sulawesi at 198 and 188 cases, respectively.

According to the World Health Organization’s latest weekly situation report on Indonesia published on June 24, East Java had a positivity rate of around 25 percent between June 15 and June 21, far from the WHO’s provision of below 5 percent to impose “new normal” measures. 

The province has nevertheless ended its large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and looks unlikely to reinstate them even as experts call for stricter controls to stem the spread of COVID-19.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.