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COVID-19 task force chief tests positive for virus
Doni Monardo not experiencing symptoms
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oni Monardo, the chief of the national COVID-19 task force and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), announced on Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 following work visits to West Sulawesi and South Kalimantan.
In a statement, Doni said he had taken a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on Friday evening after leading disaster mitigation efforts for massive flooding in South Kalimantan and an earthquake in Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi.
“I received the positive result this morning with a cycle threshold [CT] value of 25. I’m not experiencing any symptoms,” Doni said on Saturday.
CT value refers to the estimated rate of viral load a sample may contain. The higher the CT value, the lower the chance for the virus to transmit to other people. Some references mention that a CT value higher than 34 means that the virus is more unlikely to infect other people.
Read also: From floods to earthquakes, 2021 brings slew of crises to Indonesia
He added that he had performed his routine exercise of walking on Saturday morning.
Following the positive test result, Doni went into self-isolation at his residence, where he is continuing to monitor mitigation efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as disaster relief in several areas.
One of his staff members who had accompanied him during the work visits also tested positive for the coronavirus disease, according to the statement.
“I tried my best to adhere to the health protocols, but I was still infected. I urge the public to wear masks, wash their hands, maintain a physical distance with others and avoid crowds,” Doni said.
Doni is the latest public official to catch COVID-19. Several days earlier, Yogyakarta health authorities announced that Sleman Regent Sri Purnomo had tested positive for COVID-19 after he received his first vaccination jab.
The Health Ministry emphasized that the regent had not tested positive because of the vaccine, but because he had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 prior to the inoculation on Jan. 14. In most cases, the coronavirus would need up to six days to exhibit symptoms.
Sri tested positive for COVID-19 following a swab PCR test on Wednesday.
“It is very possible that he had already entered the COVID-19 incubation period [when receiving the first injection of the vaccine] but showed no symptoms,” national vaccination program spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi said in a statement on Friday.
She added that the case would not affect the schedule for the vaccination drive.
Read also: Experts warn of future spike in COVID-19 fatality rate
As the number of COVID-19 cases continued to surge in the country, more state officials also became infected with the disease, some of whom did not survive.
In December last year, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria announced they had the disease. Both recovered after undergoing self-isolation for weeks. Several months earlier, however, Jakarta secretary Saefullah died at 56 following irreversible septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19.
Cabinet members who have contracted COVID-19 include Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi and then-religious affairs minister Fachrul Razi.
