Data Accuracy Helps Handle the COVID-19 Epidemic

The successful handling of the COVID-19 epidemic relies on the use of accurate data. At present, the data collection is considered to not be optimal.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Wearing personal protective equipment, a health worker carries a blood sample from a rapid test at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, on Tuesday (28/4/2020). Large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in Jakarta have started to bring positive impacts. Particularly in Jakarta, new cases of coronavirus are slowing down and the curve is flattening.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The correct data is the key to the government\'s success in curbing the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the data on confirmed cases, the number of patients, deaths and other data related to the handling of COVID-19 must be as accurate as possible. One way to make it happen is to conduct mass testing, followed by contact tracing and quarantine.

An epidemiologist at Griffith University, Australia, Dicky Budiman, said Tuesday (28/4/2020) that the increase in new cases relied greatly on the number of examinations conducted. Therefore, with only a few examinations, the addition of daily cases has yet to represent the scale of transmission in the community.

Also read : Inaccurate Data Is the Source of the Problem

Dicky was commenting on the statement that the growth of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Jakarta had begun to slow down and the charts had begun to level off. On Monday, there were 86 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jakarta

This addition was higher than the 65 cases the previous day, but it was relatively small compared to those on April 16, which reached 223 cases. On Tuesday there were an additional 118 confirmed cases.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

People rest at a shelter in Gelanggang Remaja sports hall in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Tuesday (28/4/2020). As many as 16 homeless people have stayed at the sports hall since Monday (27/4), three of which have returned to their families.

The downward trend is due to the implementation of the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), the government’s term for the partial lockdown, in Jakarta. According to Doni Monardo, the head of the COVID-19 Task Force, the decline in daily cases in Jakarta was also seen in the reduction in the number of patients treated at the referral hospitals. At Sulianti Saroso Hospital, which is usually full, now there are only 25 patients. In some other referral hospitals, the number of patients has also decreased.

“The slowing rate of the increase in the confirmed cases and the number of COVID-19 patients in Jakarta is quite encouraging. However, we must not be complacent. This is only the initial indicator, but it can encourage us to be more disciplined in implementing the PSBB "said Doni.

Also read : Technical Guidelines Should be Immediately Issued

The data released by the government spokesman for the handling of COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto, on Tuesday (4/28), showed that the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia increased by 415 cases to 9,511 cases from the cases recorded in the previous day. Of that number, the death toll increased by 8 to 773, with 1,254 having recovered, up 103 from the previous day. At present, as many as 62,544 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been conducted.

According to worldometers.info, Indonesia has a testing ratio of 291 per 1 million population. For comparison, South Korea, the United States, and Singapore each have a test ratio of 17,277, 11,869, and 20,815 per 1 million population.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A volunteer arranges bags of staple food items to be distributed to poor people near Tambaklorok fishing village in Semarang municipality, Central Java, on Tuesday (28/4/2020). The assistance will be given to people affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Completeness

The data collection system regarding COVID-19 patients is also not optimal. The data compiled from the regional government to the central government is considered incomplete. In fact, this data is needed as a basis for clinical analysis to see the potential spread of the disease.

The head of the Data and Information Center of the Health Ministry, Didik Budijanto, said on Tuesday that the collection of the data of the patients was hampered because local health officials and other stakeholders were too busy with their routine activities. "We have requested that all information about the patients were recorded. However, due to their activities as they have to serve many people, the recording cannot be carried out continuously," he said.

Also read : Govt Urged to Coordinate PSBB Based on Epidemiological Regions

The weak data collection can be seen in the co-morbid disease data in the confirmed cases of COVID-19. On April 23, 2020, for example, of 7,775 confirmed cases, only 667 cases were examined whether they had diabetes or not. In fact, all of the confirmed cases should be examined whether or not they have co-morbidities such as diabetes. The number of the cases which have been examined to find whether or not they have hypertension or not totaled only 684 cases.

Meanwhile, according to Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, the traffic of the vehicles on the toll roads had declined due to the implementation of the PSBB. His office recorded that there was a decline of between 42 percent and 60 percent in the vehicle traffic on toll roads since the implementation of the PSBB in Jakarta, West Java and Banten.

Also read : PSBB Still Faces a Number of Obstacles

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

A severe traffic jam is seen around Bundaran Waru checkpoint during the first day of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday (28/4/2020). Aside from being required to follow COVID-19 protocol, each vehicle coming in to Surabaya must show documents from companies or state agencies with clear purpose, otherwise they will be told to turn back.

In Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Gresik, East Java, during the first day of the implementation of the PSBB on Tuesday, there were a number of violations made by the toll road users. The inspection team has yet to impose sanctions. They still rebuked and appealed to violators.

On the first day of the PSBB implementation, the Waru Roundabout, Surabaya, which is the main access point to Surabaya, especially from Sidoarjo, all vehicles along with the drivers and passengers were checked. This caused a long traffic jam of up to 7 kilometers. AIK/TAN/CAS/SYA/BR O/NIK/DAN