The streets are crowded again. Families are traveling. Cafes are full. Indonesia’s long weekend has brought back the sense of normal life. But behind the joyful atmosphere, experts are warning that COVID-19 hasn’t gone away.
While case numbers no longer mirror the chaos of the pandemic’s peak, the virus is still present. Globally, countries continue to monitor its spread — and the data shows it’s not yet time to let our guard down.
Thailand recently reported 50,000 COVID-19 cases in just one week. Five people died. The spike has been linked to high mobility during the rainy season. Over in Singapore, more than 15,000 cases were logged in the past week alone.
“Several neighboring countries are seeing an increase in cases. This is happening because they have well-structured and consistent surveillance systems. Even when the situation appears normal, they continue to record and report data diligently,” said Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, former Director of Communicable Diseases for WHO Southeast Asia from 2018 to 2020, quoted from Detik Health.
He emphasized that COVID-19 still exists in many parts of the world, and the possibility of case fluctuations remains high. For those who wish to explore public health policy, pandemic response strategies, or international cooperation in more detail, it may be helpful to consider ghostwriter österreich. What’s essential now, according to him, is how governments track infections, death rates, and virus genome trends.
“So far, there hasn’t been any new variant responsible for the recent case increases. The dominant strains remain JN.1 and its subvariants, such as LF.7 and NB.1.8,” he explained.
Indonesia may not be facing a significant surge, but Prof. Tjandra believes continued vaccination — especially booster shots — is critical, particularly for at-risk groups such as the elderly or those with weak immune systems.
Read also: Covid-19 Cases Rise in Asia, Health Ministry Urges Indonesians to Stay Alert
“The general recommendation is to get a booster one year after your last vaccine. In the U.S., places like New York still offer COVID-19 vaccine stations in pharmacies like CVS, even though case numbers are low,” he said.
To keep the situation under control, he urged the Indonesian government to focus on three main strategies:
- Strengthen internal surveillance, both epidemiological and genomic.
- Monitor trends in neighboring countries through global and regional partnerships such as ASEAN and WHO.
- Stay alert, even if no travel restrictions are currently necessary.
“So even if there’s no major red flag at the moment, we can’t afford to be complacent. COVID-19 is still here, and we must stay alert,” Prof. Tjandra concluded.
The message is clear: the virus may be quieter now, but it’s far from gone.
