Indonesia is bracing for its Covid-19 outbreak to get worse after a near-vertical climb in cases, a senior minister said on Thursday, warning that infections had spread faster than anticipated due to the more virulent delta variant.
The world’s fourth most populous country is struggling to slow virus transmission even after imposing its toughest mobility curbs so far.
Wednesday’s tally of more than 54,000 cases was the latest of many peaks in the past month, and up more than tenfold on the number of infections at the start of June.
In a streamed news conference, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said daily Covid-19 cases could still climb as the Delta variant, first identified in India, has a two-to three-week incubation period.
“We’re already in our worst-case scenario,” Luhut said. “If we’re talking about 60,000 (cases a day) or slightly more than that, we’re okay. We are hoping not for 100,000, but even if we get there, we are preparing for that,” he added.
The world’s fourth most populous country is struggling to slow virus transmission even after imposing its toughest mobility curbs so far.
Wednesday’s tally of more than 54,000 cases was the latest of many peaks in the past month, and up more than tenfold on the number of infections at the start of June.
In a streamed news conference, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said daily Covid-19 cases could still climb as the Delta variant, first identified in India, has a two-to three-week incubation period.
“We’re already in our worst-case scenario,” Luhut said. “If we’re talking about 60,000 (cases a day) or slightly more than that, we’re okay. We are hoping not for 100,000, but even if we get there, we are preparing for that,” he added.
Indonesia is bracing for worsening Covid outbreak as cases spike
Indonesia is bracing for its Covid-19 outbreak to get worse after a near-vertical climb in cases, a senior minister said on Thursday.
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