Indonesia's health ministry issues warning over COVID-19 surge in Asia
JAKARTA: Indonesia's government has urged healthcare facilities to step up COVID-19 surveillance, as a more transmissible omicron subvariant drives a surge in cases across Asia.
Parts of Asia have been reporting a new wave of infections since last month, especially Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
The new spread of the coronavirus that brought the world to a standstill a few years ago has been linked to JN.1, a highly transmissible variant of the omicron strain of COVID-19.
It emerged in late 2023 and spread globally through early 2024, becoming one of the dominant variants in many countries.
Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin met with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday to report on the country's COVID-19 situation.
'Cases are indeed increasing, but the rise is caused by variants that are relatively less deadly,' Sadikin told reporters after the meeting.
His statement comes after Indonesia's Health Ministry issued a circular last week instructing regional agencies, hospitals, community centers and other medical service facilities across the country to monitor case trends and report unusual conditions.
Health quarantine facilities are also instructed to 'step up surveillance on people, transportation and items coming from abroad, especially those from countries that are reporting surges in COVID-19 cases,' the circular stated.
Indonesia has confirmed 72 COVID-19 cases and reported no deaths in 2025, the latest data from the Health Ministry showed. The caseload was at seven from last week alone, with the positive rate declining to 2.05 percent from a peak of 3.62 percent the previous week.
Indonesia was among the hardest-hit countries in Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a cumulative death toll of around 162,000, it has the second-highest number in the region, after 533,000 recorded in India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
On Java, Indonesian Muslims celebrate Eid with time-honored royal tradition
JAKARTA: Indonesia's historic royal capital of Solo will celebrate Eid Al-Adha with a royal procession on Saturday, in which 'mountains' of local harvest are paraded and distributed as a symbol of gratitude and a reminder of the role of leaders in looking after the people's welfare. Grebeg, which roughly translates to 'mass celebration,' is a public ceremony held three times a year on the island of Java to mark Islamic holidays, including Eid Al-Fitr and the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Though Indonesians joined Muslims in other parts of the globe in starting Eid celebrations on Friday, the centuries-old Javanese tradition will take place on the second day of Eid. 'Grebeg tradition started about 200 years ago at the Surakarta Royal Palace, this is a continuation from the same tradition that began in the Demak Sultanate,' Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Haryo Adipati Dipokusumo, chief administrator of the Surakarta Royal Palace, told Arab News. Demak Sultanate, which was located in the present-day city of Demak, was the first Islamic state in Java, while Surakarta is another name for Solo, once the capital of the Mataram Sultanate — the last major independent Islamic state in Java before it was colonized by the Dutch. Grebeg involves an elaborate arrangement of local produce — including long beans, chili, and cassava — assembled in a decorated, mountain-like form and paraded from the palace to the nearby Great Mosque for a blessing, before it is brought to the public square for distribution. 'First and foremost, the palace began this tradition as a way to spread Islamic teachings,' Dipokusumo said. 'It is symbolic of values taught by Islamic prophets. The values of sincerity, patience, belief and trust, which also cover the importance of faith, intention, and gratitude.' Eid Al-Adha, the second of the two main holidays observed in Islam, commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son. To reflect his readiness to do so, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal, usually a goat, sheep or cow, and distribute the meat among relatives and the poor. The grebeg staged at Eid Al-Adha is known as Great Grebeg and incorporates the animal sacrifice aspect of the holiday. On Saturday, more than 500 people are expected to participate. Historically, the tradition also functions as a barometer of the local economy and welfare, he added, as the quality of the local harvest will be on display for the ceremony. 'If there is some kind of issue with the production or distribution, it will be visible, prompting questions as to why it is happening. Let's say maybe there is some kind of pest going around,' he said. 'It will then prompt the palace to send an officer to investigate.' According to Ody Dwicahyo, an historian at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, the tradition is between 400 and 500 years old. Today, it is observed not only in Solo but also at the royal palace in Yogyakarta, another Javanese city. People will usually try to get an item from the mountain of produce to take home, Dwicahyo told Arab News. 'Javanese people believe that produce from the king is symbolic, that it is blessed and far more special than food items they buy in the markets or harvest from their own farms,' he said. 'Grebeg is mainly about Earth's harvest, but when it is conducted during Eid Al-Adha, there's the additional aspect of meat distribution from the ritual sacrifice presented by the king.' As Javanese people are 'big believers in symbolic gestures,' grebeg served as an important occasion where the king gives something back to the people in return for their loyalty, and also a symbol of 'how leaders must ensure the people's welfare,' Dwicahyo said. Today, the palaces in Solo and Yogyakarta function as 'cultural keepers' for this time-honored tradition. 'Though times and people become more modern, this annual event is still routinely organized so people will still be aware of its function,' he said. 'Maybe people won't participate directly, but it's actually a symbol that is applicable for leaders anywhere in the world: that a leader must ensure the welfare of his people.'
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Saudi crown prince meets with Pakistani PM in Mina
MINA: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday at Mina Palace, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The two leaders exchanged Eid Al-Adha greetings and discussed the longstanding ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, with a focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation across various sectors, SPA added. They also reviewed regional developments and the efforts being made to enhance security and stability in the region. The reception was attended by several senior Saudi officials, including Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, Minister of Interior; Prince Khalid bin Salman, Minister of Defense; and Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Also in attendance were Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Climate Envoy; Minister of Information Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari; Chief of General Intelligence Khalid bin Ali Al-Humaidan; and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki. On the Pakistani side, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar joined the meeting along with Field Marshal Hafiz Syed Asim, Chief of Army Staff and ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Farooq.
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Taiwan accuses China of carrying out ‘provocative' military patrol near island
TAIPEI: Taiwan accused China on Friday of raising tensions in the region with a 'provocative' military patrol involving warplanes and warships near the island, an unusual public rebuke in what are typically routine accounts of Chinese military activity. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has complained of repeated Chinese military drills and patrols nearby. Since President Lai Ching-te took office last year China has held three major rounds of war games. Taiwan's defense ministry said that starting mid-afternoon Friday, it had detected 21 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, operating with warships to carry out 'so-called joint combat readiness patrols' and 'harass the airspace and seas around us.' 'The Ministry of National Defense stresses that these acts are highly provocative, fail to pay proper attention to the maritime rights of other countries, bring anxiety and threat to the region, and blatantly undermine the status quo in the region,' it said. Taiwan regularly reports such Chinese 'combat patrols,' but does not generally attach such commentary to its statements. China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China says democratically governed Taiwan is its 'sacred territory' — a position the government in Taipei strongly rejects — and that it has a right to carry out drills in Chinese territory. Lai, who last month marked a year in office, is hated by Beijing, which calls him a separatist and has rebuffed his repeated offers for talks. Lai says only Taiwan's people can decide their future. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
