By: Abdul Razak)*
The Policy for the Implementation of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM) has had an impact on the decline in active cases of Covid-19. The decline in active cases of Covid-19 can be seen from the occupancy of treatment rooms, the number of recovered patients, the rate of transmission and the number of deaths.
Now the BOR (Bed Occupacy Rate) of Hospitals in Java Island has averaged below 60% after June-July, many hospitals are confused to find oxygen in tubes.
The number of cases decreased, one of which occurred in Purbalingga, Head of the Purbaingga Health Service Hanung Wikantoro explained, active cases of Covid-19 in July 2021 had reached a peak of up to 3,400 active cases. But now it has dropped to 2,055 active cases.
Of the total cases, as many as 252 people who were confirmed positive are still being treated in a number of hospitals. Meanwhile, 1,803 people are self-isolating both at home and in a separate isolation place, namely in the former state junior high school 3 Purbalingga.
In addition to active cases, the cumulative cure rate has also increased. Previously, the recovery rate reached 94 percent, at the beginning of the delta variant of the Covid-19 outbreak, cases of healing had decreased to only 73 percent. However, at this time the condition has started to improve because the cure rate has reached 80%.
Previously, the government had also extended PPKM level 4 until August 9 in certain regencies/cities by adjusting the regulation of community activities and mobility according to the conditions of each region.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Health Development Studies and Consultations (LPK2PK) Dr. Ardiansyah Bahar said, “If PPKM is carried out properly, of course, daily cases of Covid-19 will decrease.
The condition is that PPKM must be carried out properly. The government, community and private parties comply with applicable regulations. Ardiansyah believes that the PPKM level can be lowered when 3T and vaccination is significant. This means that everyone who suffers from COVID-19 is properly recorded, and those who need treatment can get treatment at the hospital because bed occupancy has decreased.
He also said that tracing had been carried out properly, so that any close contact of the patient could also be detected and examined. We need to realize too, that we have just passed a wave that could reappear if we are careless.
Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Public Health (FKM UI) Iwan Ariawan also predicts that daily cases of Covid-19 will decrease with the extension of the PPKM. Iwan said, from the results of his team’s monitoring, the daily cases of COVID-19 in most of Java-Bali have decreased, but one must be careful outside Java-Bali, which is starting to increase.
According to Iwan, the requirement for Covid-19 cases to continue to decline is to return to the Covid-19 outbreak control strategy, namely 5M (washing hands, wearing masks, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds and limiting mobility). According to him, PPKM is going up and down according to the indicators. The PPKM level is only lowered if the conditions for the reduction according to the indicators have been met. Iwan Ariawan further assessed that the peak of Covid-19 cases in Java-Bali had indeed passed. But you have to be careful outside Java and Bali.
Previously, in uploading captions to his Instagram account @aniesbaswedan, Anies Baswedan wrote, since we have all reduced mobility, the pandemic situation in Jakarta continues to decline and God willing, we can get out of this critical period, as can be seen from the occupied IGDs of various hospitals in Jakarta.
He added that in the last few weeks he had continued to monitor several regional public hospitals in Jakarta. As cases increase, conditions in hospitals are now more under control because the capacity of isolation beds from the ER to the ICU is available.
Anies compared Budhi Asih Hospital and Duren Sawit Hospital, which was so full last month that the front hall of the ER was filled with patients lining up to enter the ER, inpatient rooms and the ICU. Currently, both hospitals show that the ER lobby is empty, patients can go directly to the ER. The situation according to the provincial government’s records also occurs in many hospitals in Jakarta.
If the number of active cases has decreased, it means that the PPKM policy has an influence on the decline in cases, however, we must remain vigilant and adhere to health protocols so that transmission can be further suppressed.
)* The author is a Contributor of the Press Circle and a Student of Cikini
