HEADLINE: Prediction of the COVID-19 Pandemic Become Endemic, What is the Strategy for the Future?

Observing that we will coexist with COVID-19 in at least the next 5 to 10 years, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi, what can be done is to reduce the rate of transmission of the Corona virus. The enemy of this pandemic, said Budi, is the fast transmission.

Do not let the number of infected people exceed the capacity of beds in hospitals or other health care facilities. Hospital capacity for COVID-19 is currently 120 thousand beds.

“So, our focus is not on eradicating the pandemic but how to control transmission, which is always below the capacity of our health services,” said Budi.

In suppressing the rate of transmission, the government has taken three ways. Namely behavioral changes or known as 3M (wearing masks, washing hands with soap, keeping a distance). Second, do testing, trace and isolate properly. The third is through immunization.

“We have to reduce the rate of transmission. Wearing a mask for example can reduce the risk of transmission by 95 percent,” he said.

Then, in the third point that is done is vaccination. So far, 83 million doses of the COVID-18 vaccine have been injected. President Joko Widodo targets that 50 million people can be vaccinated within 7 weeks.

Budi said that vaccination would be prioritized in areas with high mortality and high confirmed cases. Of the many regions, DKI Jakarta and Bali have achieved high penetration of COVID-19 vaccination.

“These three health strategies, namely behavior change, detection and vaccination, will continue as long as the pandemic turns into an epidemic. So don’t relax, this is part of our new normal,” concluded Budi.

5 Government Strategies

In addition, the Government has also prepared five strategies to control COVID-19 in Indonesia when it turns into an endemic.

Wiku detailed that there are five strategies that the government has prepared to deal with this. First, controlling community activities and behavior modification implementing health protocols.

This effort was carried out by monitoring and periodic evaluation for anticipatory treatment. “As long as this virus persists, the process of loosening up activities will continue to achieve a healthy, productive and safe society,” said Wiku.

Strategy second namely accelerating the formation of communal immunity or herd imunity step by step. Starting from the formation of regional immunity, including with agglomeration areas, to slowly forming a comprehensive national.

“This is done with the priority of populations and areas at risk. If we have achieved community immunity nationally, then we have given and can be quite large in efforts to intensify vaccination globally for the elimination of COVID-19,” explained Wiku.

Strategy third, the government will continue to increase health capacity and infrastructure evenly in all corners of the region. So is the effort increase testing, tracing, and treatment.

“This continued strengthening of capital for medical equipment and materials can also be a strong asset for the resilience of the national health system in a sustainable manner,” continued Wiku.

FourthSupervise the distribution of virus variants that appear and continue to develop by updating technology, both for diagnostic treatment efforts and other health service efforts.

Fifth, develop a long-term public health resilience plan involving multidisciplinary considerations such as interactions between humans, animals and plants as a long-term health investment.

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