Indonesia Prepares 5 Measures to Live with Endemic Covid-19: Task Force

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – National Covid-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said that Indonesia is preparing measures to develop a long-term public health resilience as the coronavirus disease could remain endemic based on an international survey.

The survey – which involved more than 100 immunologists, virologists, and infectious disease experts – mentioned that the Covid-19 could continue to circulate in the communities for years.

“89 percent of them [experts] agree that the Covid-19 virus will continue to live with us as an endemic, meaning that the virus will not disappear completely,” Wiku told a press conference which was held virtually on Tuesday, August 17.

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Referring to the prediction, Wiku said that the people's immunity in the future will increase against the coronavirus as the Covid-19 vaccination program has been accelerated. Thus, the number of treatments and deaths of Covid-19 patients will decrease although the virus continues to circulate.

To do so, the government is preparing at least five steps in an effort to build public health resilience for the long term.

Wiku said that the first measure is to control community activities and people's behavior by implementing health protocols. “As long as the coronavirus exists, the process of tightening and loosening activities will continue to achieve a healthy, productive and safe society,” said Wiku.

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The government is also accelerating the formation of herd immunity gradually from the regional level to the national level. This, Wiku added, will also contribute to containing the spread of Covid-19 globally.

An effort to increase health capacity and infrastructure evenly in all regions has been taken through testing, tracing, and treatment while monitoring the distribution of virus variants.
The last step is to include multidisciplinary considerations on interactions between humans, animals, and plants as a long-term health investment.