TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National COVID-19 Task Force reported that Indonesia saw a quite significant spike in the number of people exposed to the coronavirus in the past week. In fact, this week’s figure was the highest in 2022.

A spokesman for the task force Wiku Adisasmito outlined there were more than 1,400 cases in the first week of January 2022. But in the last week, more than 56,000 positive cases were recorded.

“There is a spike to 56,000 cases in one week. This number increases 40 times compared to that of early January,” said Wiku in an online press conference, Wednesday, Feb. 2.

In terms of daily positive cases, he said, there was also a very rapid spike. On February 1 yesterday, new daily cases had reached more than 16,000. Higher than when the first wave of Covid-19 occurred in December 2020.

“Seen from the daily positive cases, on February 1, the daily cases reached 16,000, higher than the daily addition in the first wave in December 2020,” he said.

Consequently, the daily positivity rate from the antigen and PCR tests also increased. Based on the latest data, it reached six percent or above the WHO standard, Wiku informed. Previously, the daily positivity rate was consistent at just 0-2 percent.

“Of course, the hike in the positivity rate should be a warning for all of us to reflect again on our discipline towards health protocols,” Wiku underlined.

The number of COVID-19 deaths, meanwhile, was fewer than that during the first wave at the end of 2020. On February 1, 2022, the daily death number was recorded at 28, while during the first wave it reached 300 per day.

However, Wiku emphasized that even though the number was low, the COVID-19 death was a reminder that the virus transmission due to the emergence of the Omicron variant remains dangerous, especially for the elderly and patients with comorbidities.

“The most important thing is to not travel to public places if it is not urgent. This must be re-applied. The good news is the high increase in positive cases is not followed by the high increase in deaths,” Wiku concluded.

Read: Anies Baswedan Addresses Jakarta's Omicron Rise But 'No Reason to Panic'

ARRIJAL RACHMAN