Number of Coronavirus Infection Cases Could Be Bigger

The coronavirus death toll reached 910 and 40,573 people in at least 27 countries and territories had been infected. The number of infection cases outside mainland China could actually be far bigger than those reported.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A person reads a brochure about the novel coronavirus during a public information event of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) on Thursday (6/2/2020) at a residential area in Penagi Old Town of East Bunguran district, Natuna regency, Riau Islands. The area is only 1.3 kilometers from Raden Sadjad Air Base, where 238 evacuees from Wuhan, China, are being quarantined.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The spread of the new coronavirus among people who have not been to China could be just the tip of the iceberg. In other words, the number of corona virus infection cases outside mainland China could actually be far bigger than those reported.

"The detection of a small number of cases may indicate a wider infection in other countries. In short, we might only see the tip of the iceberg, "said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday (9/2/2020).

As of Monday night, the coronavirus death toll reached 910 and 40,573 people in at least 27 countries and territories had been infected. Most infections and deaths occurred on mainland China. Specifically outside China, there were at least 440 cases of infections.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with medical personnel who handled new coronavirus patients in Beijing. He asked for "more decisive measures" to control the epidemic.

Chinese citizens on Monday returned to work after the long Lunar New Year holiday, which was extended following the outbreak of the new coronavirus. However, many workplaces were still closed. The workers used public transportation and all wore masks.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Evacuees from Wuhan, China, exercise on Thursday (6/2/2020) outside the hangar of Raden Sadjad Air Base in Natuna regency, Riau Islands, where they have been quarantined for a week since their arrival on Sunday (2/2/2020).

Observation

The head of the infectious disease prevention and control section of the health office in Temanggung regency, Central Java, Sri Hartati, said the two residents from the regency who had returned from China in early February were under observation for 14 days.

According to Sri, they had undergone examination at Tugurejo Regional Hospital, Semarang, soon after they arrived at Ahmad Yani Airport, Semarang. During observations, both were prohibited from going outside the city and asked to do daily activities using masks.

Their health condition is monitored every two or three days by the local public health center (Puskesmas) staff.

In Karimun regency, Riau Islands, a 28-year-old man has been treated in the isolation room of Muhammad Sani Hospital since Friday (7/2/2020). The patient from Meranti Islands regency showed symptoms similar to those infected with the new coronavirus, namely high fever accompanied by shortness of breath.

The head of the Karimun health office, Rachmadi said the man arrived from Malaysia by boat at Tanjung Balai Karimun Port on Thursday. He is a migrant worker who has been working as a janitor in Malaysia for the past three months. "This is the first case of suspected corona virus infection in Karimun. Health workers have taken the patient’s specimens for examination in Jakarta,"Rachmadi said. Meanwhile, Surabaya\'s immigration office in East Java, rejected five foreigners from entering Surabaya\'s Juanda Airport in Sidoarjo during February. They were rejected because they had been in China in the last 14 days.

REUTERS

Community volunteers deliver donated vegetables to elderly residents at Furen community on the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, China February 8, 2020. Picture taken (8/2/2020).

The secretary of the directorate general of the disease prevention and control of the Health Ministry, Achmad Yurianto, said in Jakarta on Monday that active surveillance (systematic disease surveillance activities) had been strengthened after the new coronavirus was declared a global emergency by the WHO as the outbreak continued to spread around the world.

"The incubation period for the virus is 14 days. So, after screening at the airport, monitoring continues during the incubation period. The observation should be carried out by the regional government, which has previously obtained the names of the people and their addresses from the immigration office, "he said.

According to Achmad, the active surveillance has been carried out by the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government. The local health service gathered students who had just arrived from China a month ago and observed their health condition.

Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun said Indonesian citizens who were still in China were in good health and the Indonesian Embassy team continued to monitor them. "We urge Indonesian citizens to avoid crowds and the streets and maintain personal hygiene in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus," he said via teleconference at the Bina Graha office, Jakarta, on Monday. There are currently 1,890 Indonesian citizens in China. The Indonesian Embassy are prepared to help if some of them want to return to Indonesia. (Reuters /AFP/AP/ EGI / NDU/ NIK/TA N/ADH / INA)