Jakarta (ANTARA) - Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), confirmed here on Friday that he is currently undergoing self-quarantine after having tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Apart from the mandatory self-isolation, Baswedan admitted to feeling healthy. "Alhamdulillah (Thank God), I feel healthy," he told ANTARA.
Baswedan spoke of receiving a positive result in a swab test that he recently underwent that confirmed he had contracted the virus after earlier developing symptoms, such as cough and fever.
KPK spokesperson, Ali Fikri, earlier informed that Baswedan had suffered eye damage on account of an acid attack by two men on April 11, 2017, while several other KPK workers had tested positive for COVID-19.
The agency’s workers had taken requisite measures by undergoing a14-day self-isolation, he stated, adding that the KPK had coordinated with health services in proximity to the neighborhood areas of each of its infected worker for monitoring their recovery process.
The acid attack on Baswedan took place on April 11, 2017, while heading home after performing the Fajr, or Dawn prayer, at a mosque near his house. It damaged his eyes, necessitating medical treatment in Jakarta and Singapore.
Novel coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019.
Since then, COVID-19 has spread to over 215 countries and territories, including 34 provinces of Indonesia, with a massive spurt in the death toll.
To tackle the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused public health and economic crises in several affected countries, Indonesia is making all-out efforts to develop a vaccine to fight the virus.
Currently, in addition to the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, Indonesian scientists are working on a vaccine named after the country's national flag, Merah Putih (Red and White).
The pandemic has severely affected Indonesia's economy as is apparent from the nation’s gross domestic product that contracted 5.32 percent in the second quarter of this year.
The government has stressed on the criticality of solid support of and active participation from all elements of the society to handle the public health and economic crises.
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