TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Fifty residents of Jayapura District in Papua Province are still struggling for their recovery from novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while 231 other residents had fully recovered, and four others succumbed to the deadly virus, a local government official said.

The district's recovery and mortality rates were recorded from March to Aug 16, Jayapura District's COVID-19 Task Force Spokesman Khairul told ANTARA on Sunday.

The recovered COVID-19 patients had returned home but they remain required to keep practicing preventive measures mandated in the government's health protocols, such as wearing face mask, washing hands, and avoiding crowds while venturing outdoors, he said.

The 285 confirmed COVID-19 cases were found in the subdistricts of Sentani Barat, Sentani Timur, Waibhu, Yapsi, Nimboran, Ebungfauw, Demta, Depapre, and Unurumguay, he said, adding that 35 residents were found to have directly contacted with the patients.

In addition, 242 residents are suspected of suffering the COVID-19 symptoms while 2,551 others still wait for the results of their swab tests, Khairul said.

Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019.

Since then, COVID-19 has spread to over 215 countries and territories, including 34 provinces of Indonesia, with a massive spurt in death toll.

Papua is one of the Indonesian provinces which has been striving to flatten the coronavirus curve.

To tackle this COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia is leaving no stone unturned to develop a vaccine to fight the virus.

To this end, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito echoed the government's aspirations to prioritize the triad of safety, precision, and speed in the domestic production of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We must say that in the development of this vaccine, the Indonesian government prioritizes three important aspects, with the first about it being safe; second, being precise; and third, being fast," Adisasmito emphasized in his recent statement.

State-owned pharmaceutical holding company Bio Farma has recently collaborated with Chinese company Sinovac to produce the COVID-19 vaccine for Indonesia. The COVID-19 vaccine material from Sinovac arrived in Indonesia on July 19.

Currently, Indonesian scientists are also working on a vaccine, named after the country's national flag, Merah Putih (Red and White).

Read: Jayapura's COVID-19 Recoveries Increased to 181: Task Force

ANTARA