Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito has conceded that the positivity rate in Indonesia has continued to rise over time. The positivity rate is the ratio of positive cases compared with the number of tests conducted.
“The national positivity rate [in] Indonesia continues to go up”, said Adisasmito in a press release on Wednesday September 2.
Adisasmito said that in June the average national positivity rate was 11.7 percent. In July this rose to 14.29 percent and in August it rose again to 15.43 percent.
“Indonesia's positivity rate reached its peak, namely 25.25 percent on August 30”, said Adisasmito.
According to Adisasmito, there is a huge challenge for the government to reduce the positivity rate which is still far higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard [for easing social restrictions] of 5 percent.
Adisasmito said that Indonesia will continue to increase testing rates and contact tracing. “There is a huge challenge to reduce the positivity rate and meet the WHO’s recommendations, namely less than 5 percent”, he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Satgas Akui Positivity Rate Covid-19 Terus Naik, 3 Kali Lebih Tinggi dari Standar WHO”.]
