Kotabaru manages to suppress COVID-19 cases in Omicron wave

Kotabaru, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Kotabaru District, South Kalimantan, has been succeeded in suppressing the rate of COVID-19 case when a wave of Omicron variant hit the province since mid-January 2022.

"What was achieved today is of course thanks to the hard work of all three pillars, the TNI (military), Polri (police), and regional government together with the community to overcome the pandemic," said Kotabaru Police Chief AKBP Gafur Siregar here on Monday.

Kotabaru has recorded the fewest cases of COVID-19 in South Kalimantan. Based on the province's Health Office data as of February 27, 2022, Kotabaru only contributed 31 patients out of the total 5,839 people who were confirmed positive at the provincial level.

This is far from Banjarmasin City with 1,888 patients or its neighbor Tanah Bumbu District 112 patients, and Tanah Laut District 698 patients.

Gafur emphasized that the relatively good condition must be maintained by all the people in Saijaan Earth (nickname of Kotabaru) to keep discipline in health protocols.

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According to him, the small number of COVID-19 cases should not make people careless to ignore the health protocols or because of information circulates that the symptoms of Omicron are mild for those who are exposed.

"The evidence of death toll of 9 people yesterday at the provincial level is quite worrying with 289 people being confirmed positive, although Kotabaru has no additional case, nor were death," he explained.

In addition to reduce transmission in the community, and the 3T (testing, tracing and treatment) strategy, he added, acceleration of vaccination continue to be intensfied as an effor to create community immunity, including to save vulnerable group such as elderly and comorbidities.

"Based on the report from the Ministry of Health those who are exposed with moderate to severe symptoms currently have not received the vaccine, including the elderly and comorbidities. That's why we continue to try to expand the vaccination coverage as targeted by the government," said the police chief who graduated from the 2002 Akpol.

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