Expert Talks of Potential Dangers of High COVID-19 Transmission

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Public health expert Tjandra Yoga Aditama asserted that social restrictions are needed to suppress the number of COVID-19 infections which continued to increase day by day.

“This is really necessary because there are at least three potential dangers of the rising transmission of COVID-19 in the community,” said Tjandra, who was the former director for infectious diseases of the WHO's Southeast Asia regional office, in a written statement, Tuesday, February 8.

First, he explained that more numbers of positive cases lead to more people who suffer moderate or even severe impact of the virus which increases the burden of health facilities. It was also reported a few days ago that many health workers had contracted the coronavirus disease.

The virus transmission in the community must be suppressed so that the case numbers could also be controlled. “And hospital services can also be more optimal. Don't let the condition in June and July last year happen again,” said the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine professor.

The second potential danger is that some time ago, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus clearly stated that more virus transmission means more deaths. On February 7, 82 Indonesians died from COVID-19.

The figure has increased more than 15 times in a month. On January 7, there were five death cases. “Controlling transmission in the community is one of the fundamental efforts to suppress severe cases that can cause death,” he underlined.

Additionally, high virus transmission as it is now might allow the virus to keep replicating. Consequently, mutations occur and if it is prolonged, this will potentially give rise to new variants.

“So controlling [COVID-19] transmission in the community will also play a very important role in preventing the emergence of new variants in the future,” said Tjandra, who currently serves as Postgraduate Director at YARSI University Jakarta.

Read: Bandung to Conduct Random Covid-19 Test to Tourists as Cases Soar

MOH KHORY ALFARIZI