LestyMiles
Indonesia's statement that the fourth-most populous country in the world has not had a case of nCoV makes experts skeptical.
Questions about Indonesia's ability to "stop" corona virus came to light after a Harvard University study showed that nCoV is more likely to be present in the country.
Indonesians evacuated from Wuhan were disinfected when arriving on Natuna Island on February 2 Photo: Reuters.
The study focused on the number of passengers flying from Wuhan, China and surrounding countries to Indonesia, as well as paying attention to strong trade and tourism relations between Jakarta and Beijing.
Indonesia's neighbors, including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, have all reported cases of corona virus infection. Meanwhile, Indonesia, a country of more than 264 million people, ranked fourth in the world, the destination for many tourists, has yet to detect any cases.
Harvard researchers argue that Indonesia's claim to not record any nCoV infection could be due to "undetermined cases". However, Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto called the report an "insult", emphasizing that his country has adequate testing equipment.
Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake, an expert on infectious diseases at the Australian National University, also expressed skepticism about Indonesia's "immunity" to nCoV.
"The fact that they have not detected a case of corona virus infection is still possible, because it all depends on the ability to screen and detect the disease. However, there may be cases they have not found," Senanayake said. adding that countries with underdeveloped health systems may not detect cases of corona virus infection.
Malaysia on February 15 tested twice with an 83-year-old American woman, a passenger on the yacht Westerdam, all tested positive for corona virus, while Cambodia had previously tested 20 people for signs. infected on the yacht and confirmed that no one was infected with nCoV.
The Covid-19 outbreak broke out in Wuhan, China in December 2019, appearing in 27 countries and territories, causing 1,775 deaths and 71,330 cases. Indonesia said it had taken drastic measures to prevent the virus from spreading after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of emergency. The country has not recorded any cases of infection.
