By : Bayu Tjumano Wauran
In the midst of the exposure rate due to Covid-19 which has not yet decreased, the Government’s efforts to overcome this pandemic were “interrupted” by the emergence of a number of issues that could increase the tension between the issue of vaccine effectiveness and self-isolation patients whose mortality rate increased.
The government has obtained data from many hospital directors, the cause of the high increase in the death rate due to Covid-19 is because patients are late in entering the hospital.
In many cases, Covid-19 patients tend to only come to the hospital when the saturation is very low, which is down to 80%-70% (normally at 95%-100%). In this condition, the patient’s health tends to be worrying.
According to data from the Covid-19 Handling Task Force until July 27, 2021, the highest additions were in West Java with 8,589 cases, East Java with 6,337 cases and Central Java with 5,187 cases. During the same period, there were still additional patients who died. In a day, the number of patients who died after being infected with the corona virus increased by 2,069 people spread across 33 provinces. Of these, Central Java is the province with the highest number of deaths, namely 417 people, East Java as many as 354 people, West Java as many as 309 people, Lampung as many as 255 people, and DKI Jakarta as many as 184 people.*
Until July 27, 2021, cumulatively the government has examined 25,245,491 Covid-19 specimens from 17,189,001 people. Based on the examination of these specimens, 45,203 people were found to be positive for Covid-19. The number was obtained from 35,199 PCR swab test results, 516 from TCM, and 9,488 from antigen swab tests. From this data, the daily positivity rate for Covid-19 positive cases is 25.08 percent in total. However, if it is only based on the PCR swab test, then the positivity rate is 45.40 percent.
Vaccination does not make a person 100% immune from Covid-19. The working principle of vaccines is to train our immune system and increase it. Meanwhile, regarding the findings of Chinese researchers “Sinovac Vaccine Ineffective After 6 Months” that the research is still ongoing. Researchers are still figuring out how the decrease in Sinovac vaccine antibodies after 6 months might affect the effectiveness of the injections.
The government invites the public not to doubt the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine. All vaccines in Indonesia are effective against various variants of the corona virus and effectively reduce the risk of death from Covid-19. In addition, the Government continues to anticipate that Covid 19 patients who are undergoing self-isolation will undergo an optimal healing process with various existing facilities so that it does not lead to death. Various officers will be deployed so that the condition of isoman patients can continue to be monitored.
The government will continue to anticipate that patients who are self-isolating undergo an optimal healing process through existing health services. Isoming is performed by asymptomatic or mild symptomatic patients with saturation levels above 95%. beyond that it is recommended to go directly to the hospital or centralized isolation.
In addition, another thing that causes the high death rate is that there are still many people who consider being exposed to the corona virus as a disgrace, so they do not want to go to health facilities. The government also emphasized that being sick with Covid-19 is not a disgrace, in fact, if someone is sick, they must immediately get quick treatment to help prevent death and the severity of Covid-19 can be suppressed as much as possible.
Regarding the issue of vaccine effectiveness, to date there is no scientific evidence or medical journals showing that vaccines such as Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, or Moderna are not effective against the Delta variant. In fact, WHO encourages the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccination so that herd immunity is immediately formed. With vaccination too, fewer people will be infected, reduce the risk of death, and the potential for the emergence of other new variants can be prevented.
Based on data on Covid-19 treatment claims in hospitals for the May-July 2021 period received by the Covid Handling Task Force, it shows that patients who receive the full dose of the vaccine can be protected from the risk of death by up to 73% compared to those who have not received the vaccine. Then patients who received the first dose of vaccine 90% recovered. Meanwhile, only 84% of those who have not been vaccinated have recovered. This is the protection that vaccines get. Vaccines do not make a person 100% immune from Covid-19. The working principle of vaccines is to train our immune system and increase it.
The issue of vaccine effectiveness, if not handled properly, will cause various hoaxes in the community, such as the number of people dying after undergoing vaccination, the vaccine is not effective in protecting themselves from the Delta variant and vaccines or no vaccines are the same, people can get infected.
In addition, the President can also order the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investments, the Ministry of Health and the National Economic Recovery-Covid Management Committee (KPC-PEN) to emphasize to the entire community not to be consumed by the issue of Isoman which is the cause of the high death rate due to Covid-19. In addition, he emphasized the Government’s efforts to fully facilitate the community isoman process, from consultation to free medicine.
*) The author is an observer of Indonesian issues.
