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View all search resultsCOVID-19 far more widespread in Indonesia than official data show: Studies
The country of 270 million has recorded 1.83 million positive cases, but epidemiologists have long believed the true scale of the spread has been obscured by a lack of testing and contact tracing.
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OVID-19 is many times more prevalent in Indonesia than shown by official figures in the world's fourth most populous country, authors of two new studies told Reuters.
The country of 270 million has recorded 1.83 million positive cases, but epidemiologists have long believed the true scale of the spread has been obscured by a lack of testing and contact tracing.
The results of Indonesia's first major seroprevalence studies – which test for antibodies – were revealed exclusively to Reuters.
One nationwide study between December and January suggested 15 percent of Indonesians had already contracted COVID-19 – when official figures at the end of January had recorded infections among only around 0.4 percent of people.
Even now, Indonesia's total positive infections are only around 0.7 percent of the population.
The results of the survey were not unexpected given under reporting, said Pandu Riono, a University of Indonesia epidemiologist who worked on the study carried out with help from the World Health Organization.
Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a senior health ministry official, said it was possible the study was preliminary, but there might be more cases than officially reported because many cases were asymptomatic.
