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View all search resultsCOVID-19 in East Java: A crisis of awareness
However, the PSBB policy actually did not lower single-day infection rates in East Java.
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W
hen Jakarta became the epicenter of COVID-19 transmission, other regions, including the East Java capital of Surabaya, lagged behind the capital city in implementing restriction policy.
When large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were enforced in Greater Surabaya (Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Gresik) on April 28, positive COVID-19 cases in Surabaya had already reached 372. As a comparison, New Zealand imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25, when 205 cases were reported.
However, the PSBB policy actually did not lower single-day infection rates in East Java. On June 26, after three PSBB periods, East Java emerged as the leading contributor of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, overtaking Jakarta, with 66.9 percent of national cases. Experts warn that Surabaya may emulate Wuhan in China, where the pandemic began. A record-breaking single-day case of 463 came on July 19, bringing the toll of confirmed cases to 18,129, higher than the total cases in Vietnam.
The East Java provincial government has taken various measures to contain the virus’ spread. Its testing rate has reached 9,004 per two weeks with a positivity rate of 31.6 percent. Testing capacity stands at 2,250 per day, lower than the World Health Organization standard of 40,000 tests per week and a positivity rate of below 5 percent.
COVID-19 tracing in East Java is not improving either. Surabaya has recorded the lowest tracing ratio of only 2.8 possible/asymptomatic cases, while the WHO standard is 25 possible/asymptomatic cases.
Nonetheless, hospital capacity in East Java for COVID-19 cases is already overloaded. There are not enough isolation rooms in Greater Surabaya, where most infections are found. Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, the main referral hospital, has added 200 beds, but it is still not enough. An emergency hospital for COVID-19 was then built on Jl. Indrapura, with a capacity of 500 beds.
According to our sources in the East Java COVID-19 task force, problems in referral system arise because the hospitals do not have an integrated system that can map the number of available beds in each hospital. This has slowed down the referral process for COVID-19 patients immensely.
