Gov’t to Anticipate Spread of Coronavirus

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Health officials examines the monitor of a thermal scanner as passengers arrive from Singapore at Harbour Bay Port in Batam, Riau Islands, on Tuesday (21/1/2020). Authorities have heightened their monitoring of arriving passengers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The government has increased its vigilance over the possibility of a new type of coronavirus entering the country, in the wake of reports that the virus can spread between humans.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government has increased its vigilance against the possibility of a new type of coronavirus spreading from Wuhan, China, in the wake of reports from the local authority that the virus can spread between humans.

Health Ministry disease control and prevention director general Anung Sugihantono said in Jakarta on Tuesday (21/1/2020) that the government was preparing several strategies to anticipate the spread of the new coronavirus (2019-novel corona virus/2019-nCoV) that has spread to several countries.

The increased vigilance was to monitor people traveling between Indonesia and China for Chinese New Year celebrations this upcoming weekend.

“We have ordered border patrol officers to tighten their vigilance over people coming in from China,” Anung said.

Thus far, China’s National Health Commission said that six had died from the virus and 291 were being treated for it. In China, other than in Wuhan, positive corona cases have been found in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang. Outside China, five cases have been reported in South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan.

However, the new virus’ strain was never found in humans before.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the new coronavirus that first emerged in Wuhan originated in the same family of viruses as the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV). However, the new virus’ strain was never found in humans before.

Cross-program

Anung said the preparedness program to face a potential pandemic due to the new coronavirus would be done cross-program and cross-sectoral. The Health Ministry will reactivate referral schemes in 100 hospital that was prepared to face the SARS pandemic in 2007. On Jan. 7, the government ordered all the referral hospitals to update their personnel’s skills, logistics and standard operating procedures to anticipate the new coronavirus. Private clinics and hospitals were asked to join the effort.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

Passengers of Lion Air JT 2742 from Changsha, China, go through a thermal scanner as they walk to the immigration check at Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday. The aircraft carried tourists from China.

The inventory of medical equipment and pharmacies are also conducted. WHO has yet to provide specific clinical guidelines to handle patients of the virus. In a number of countries, infected patients are given common respiratory syndrome treatment.

Thus far, WHO has yet to issue a travel limit or ban to China and other countries that have reported cases. However, people are urged to exercise caution when traveling to these countries by keeping their hands clean and wearing a mask.

“Avoid crowded places,” Anung said.

Border

Anung added that alertness was also increased at 135 entry points, including border gates, airports and seaports, under oversight of port health offices. Other than activating thermal scanners, Health Alert Cards (HAC) are also issued to all travelers from China.

The card contains information on the transmission of the new coronavirus and its symptoms. The hope is that if visitors experience these symptoms within the virus’ incubation period of 10-14 days, they can go to healthcare facilities for a checkup.

“Officers are prepared with personal protective equipment to prevent infection from these visitors. Disinfectants are also being prepared,” Anung said.

The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s class-I port health office head, Anas Ma’ruf, said officers would also tighten their checks on visitors showing symptoms. Visitors experiencing cough and flu symptoms or breathing difficulties will be examined. If necessary, these visitors will undergo quarantine.

Every day, between 4,500 and 6,000 visitors from China pass through the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Wuhan and Jakarta are not connected by a direct flight.

“Vigilance is increased due to the possibility of people from China arriving or transiting at Soekarno-Hatta ahead of Chinese New Year,” Anas said.

Alertness is also increased in several other airports, including Surakarta’s Adi Soemarmo, Manado’s Sam Ratulangi and Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai, one of the country’s most crowded international airports.

The scanners were installed on the ground floor and first floor of Sam Ratulangi Airport’s international arrival hall.

In Manado, the city’s class-II port health office head Yohanis Rapa Patari said only one of two thermal scanners was in operation as the other one was broken. The scanners were installed on the ground floor and first floor of Sam Ratulangi Airport’s international arrival hall.

“Visitors from eight cities in China arrived on the upper floors as their planes use the aerobridge,” he said.

In Bali, Denpasar’s class-I port health office collaborated with the Bali health agency and other relevant agencies to anticipate an outbreak in Bali, especially through the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport. Two thermal scanners were activated at the airport’s international arrival hall on Saturday (4/1).

The port health office’s cross-regional health effort division head Putu Alit Sudarma said that early detection also involved monitoring the manifests of all incoming flights from China.

The Batam city administration in Riau Island is tightening its monitoring on foreign arrivals. Two hospitals have been assigned to prepare isolation wards for patients. Batam health agency head Didi Kusmarjadi said no sign of the virus had been observed in Batam.

KOMPAS/ KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

An official checks a quarantine room at Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday. The room will be used to isolate patients that are suspected of having been infected with the coronavirus, following an outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Transmission between humans

The risk of the new coronavirus spreading from Wuhan increases in the wake of confirmation of the virus’ transmission between humans. The confirmation came from researcher Zhong Nanshan of China’s National Health Commission on Monday (20/1) evening.

“The virus can be transmitted from human to human,” he said.

Two patients in Guangdong have been diagnosed as positive. They caught the disease from their relatives who visited Wuhan. Furthermore, 14 health personnel treating patients in Wuhan have also been infected. They never visited the Huanan fish market before.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic warned that new cases could crop up in other countries.

Meanwhile, the WHO said there was not enough information to conclude the virus’ means of transmission. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic warned that new cases could crop up in other countries.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter that a meeting would be held with the WHO Emergency Committee to ensure that the emergence of a new disease caused by the new coronavirus is a health emergency with international attention. The meeting will also request expert recommendation to prevent further spread of the virus.

(TAN/COK/NDU/RWN/OKA/ADH/AP/REUTERS/AFP)