On the Alert for the Coronavirus

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

Nurses wear masks on Monday (27/1/2020) at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Central General Hospital in Palembang, South Sumatra. The hospital has readied an isolation room for treating patients with the novel coronavirus, which has not been detected in Indonesia to date.

Special attention is needed to prevent unnecessary deaths from a new type of coronavirus in humans that is believed to spread faster than originally thought.

No confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been found in Indonesia by Monday, although several suspected cases were reported in Jambi, Bandung and Cirebon, including several Chinese nationals of mainland China and Taiwan.

The government has thus far not restricted international travel to Indonesia; nor has it banned Indonesians from traveling to China. However, the Transportation Ministry temporarily suspended commercial flights to and from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province where the virus originated.

Chinese health officials reported the emergence of the first pneumonia cases in Wuhan to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 31 Dec. 2019. At that time, the pathogen had not been identified. Chinese health officials confirmed on 5 Jan. that the cause of pneumonia was not the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus. The 2002-2003 SARS outbreak also originated in China, and killed 770 people worldwide.

On 7 Jan., China reported that it had identified a new type of virus in the Coronaviridae family, which was named 2019-nCoV. This family of viruses also causes SARS and the common cold, and is transmitted through coughing, sneezing, or direct contact with an infected person.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

An official from the Probolinggo Port Health Office (KKP) uses a handheld scanner to check the temperature of a new arrival on Monday (27/1/2020) at Banyuwangi International Airport in East Java. The KKP and state-owned port operator Angkasa Pura II has put surveillance measures in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to Indonesia.

Concerns about a possible coronavirus pandemic have arisen because of the speed at which it spreads. By Monday (27/1/2020), 81 people had died from the resulting illness, all in China. Around 3,000 people have been infected in China and 12 other countries. What makes it difficult to control the virus’ spread is that those who have contracted the virus do not always show physical symptoms, such as fever, cough, runny nose, or shortness of breath.

The Foreign Ministry needs to maintain a precise record of the number and condition of Indonesian citizens in Wuhan and in China.

President Joko Widodo has ordered the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing to pay special attention to Indonesian nationals who are in lockdown in Wuhan. The local government locked down all transportation to and from Wuhan in an attempt to contain the virus. Evacuating Indonesian citizens will be considered if the situation worsens. The Foreign Ministry needs to maintain a precise record of the number and condition of Indonesian citizens in Wuhan and in China.

We appreciate the efforts of the regional administrations to put 100 hospitals on alert. In addition, temperature scanners have been installed at 135 international airports and seaports.

Because infected people are not always symptomatic, heightened prevention measures are necessary. Hygiene and health campaigns like washing hands with soap after visiting public places and before eating, washing hands with soap before touching the eyes or nose, covering the mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing, and reporting to health services if a fever develops

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Two people sit on a bench outside the isolation ward at Waled Regional General Hospital in Cirebon regency, West Java, which has been designated to treat patients who have been infected with the new coronavirus. A 44-year-old Cirebon resident who had just returned from Taiwan was hospitalized on Monday (27/1/2020) as a suspected 2019-nCoV case.

Information can be distributed regularly through schools, posyandu (integrated health service posts), and mainstream media. The government needs to promote the use of social media to counter the spread of inaccurate and false information to prevent confusion and panic among the public.