TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Health Ministry's Director-General for Disease Prevention and Control, Anung Sugihantono, said a total of 62 specimens of patients suspected of being infected with the coronavirus had been put under examination at the ministry’s Research and Development Agency laboratory.

The tests result showed that 59 specimens tested negative for the virus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan. “The other three are still being observed,” Anung said at Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, today, February 10.

He explained that the 62 specimens were brought from 28 hospitals in 16 provinces.

The Head of the ministry’s R&D Agency, Siswanto, outlined that 14 cases occurred in Jakarta, 11 in Bali, 7 in Central Java, 6 in West Java, 5 in East Java, 4 in Banten, 4 in North Sulawesi, 2 in Yogyakarta, 2 in East Kalimantan, 1 in Jambi, 1 in West Papua, 1 in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), 1 in Riau Islands, 1 in Bengkulu, 1 in West Kalimantan, and 1 in Southeast Sulawesi.

Siswanto asserted that his laboratory was capable of detecting the virus, adding that no confirmed case had been found in Indonesia to date.

“We are capable [to detect the virus]. We are experienced in dealing with the avian flu virus up to the MERS-CoV,” Siswanto underlined, dismissing people’s doubt about the government's ability amid the coronavirus fear.

FRISKI RIANA