Indonesia made headlines for having zero Covid-19 cases previously.
This comes at a time where the Covid-19 virus is escalating in various countries.
However, instead of zero cases, people suspect that Covid-19 cases in Indonesia simply went undetected.
And Now, A Japanese Who Visited Indonesia Diagnosed With Covid-19
On 22 Feb 2020, a Japanese public broadcaster NHK announced that a 61-year-old Japanese man was diagnosed with Covid-19 after visiting Indonesia.
He reportedly visited the country on 15 Feb and returned to Japan on 19 Feb 2020.
NHK added that he has problems breathing and is currently in a ‘serious’ condition.
Indonesian Government Not Notified Of Any Details
Normally, if such a situation was to occur in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) would mobilise immediately.
They’ll trace his activities from the moment he steps onto Singapore soil until he leaves.
But Indonesia did not.
Or, to be more exact, they could not.
They were not given the identity of the man nor the places that he visited by the Japanese authorities.
“We don’t know his name or which part of Indonesia [he visited]. So what can we investigate?”
“Our Detection Not At Fault”
Amin Soebandrio, the director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology pointed out that if the man did not show symptoms during the 14-day incubation period, he could be undetected.
Even other countries, he pointed out, could’ve missed it.
So there are no issues with Indonesia’s detection capability, he clarified, saying that Indonesia has put in all measures according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
Why The Emphasis?
Previously, Indonesia was criticised for not handling the Covid-19 situation adequately.
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The Indonesian government did not plan to test the evacuees for the Wuhan coronavirus. They said that as long as the people are healthy while within quarantine, there should not be a need to do so.
Only when they are experiencing symptoms would they be tested.
Plus, Indonesia was one of the more popular travel destinations for Wuhan travellers and yet, the country seems to have siam-ed the Covid-19 catastrophe.
This has led many to suspect that Covid-19 cases do exist in Indonesia. They’ve simply gone undetected.
