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Indonesia sees record high in COVID-19 cases for third day running
It is the third day in a row Indonesia has recorded a record daily high after the Health Ministry confirmed 2,719 and 3,003 new cases on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
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Wearing protective gear, members of the COVID-19 task force in Cilandak district, South Jakarta, carry a fake coffin around local neighborhoods on Aug. 28 to warn residents to abide by health protocols. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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ndonesia has recorded another record daily high in confirmed COVID-19 cases with 3,308 new cases confirmed on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 169,195 confirmed cases.
It is the third day in a row Indonesia has recorded a record daily high after the Health Ministry confirmed 2,719 and 3,003 new cases on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The country also saw 92 new deaths from the disease, bringing the total number of fatalities to 7,261. The total number of recovered patients had also increased to 122,802.
According to official records, the 3,308 new cases were detected after the government tested 21,166 people, bringing the national positivity rate, the percentage of positive results from all tests, to 15.6 percent.
Indonesia has recorded the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, which had recorded 213,131 COVID-19 cases as of Saturday. Indonesia is also ranked 23rd worldwide.
Since early August, health authorities have confirmed more than 1,000 new cases every day.
Read also: Contact tracing the missing link in Indonesia's battle with COVID-19
Jakarta, the initial epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, recorded the highest number of new cases on Saturday with 861. The capital was followed by East Java, the country’s second epicenter, with 641 new cases, West Java 287, East Kalimantan 200 and Central Java 180.
Epidemiologists have suggested that the recent surge in cases was caused by the two long weekends for Independence Day on Aug. 17 and Islamic New Year on Aug. 20, which saw increased mobility among the public.
They raised concerns that the spike in infections could lead to a crisis at health facilities across the country, and urged the government to take serious measures to control the outbreak.
