The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak is still evolving globally and remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Like many other Member States around the world, Indonesia is preparing to respond to additional cases and possible widespread transmission of the disease.
As cases of COVID-19 continue to climb, public concern in Indonesia regarding the severity of the disease and population vulnerability is also growing.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, or sore throat. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment, and for the majority – especially for children and young adults – illness due to COVID-19 is generally minor.
However, for some people it can cause serious illness. Around 1 in every 5 people who are infected with COVID-19 develop difficulty in breathing and require hospital care.
People who are aged over 60 years, and people who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease or hypertension are among those who are at greater risk of developing severe or critical illness if infected with the virus.
In Indonesia, the 2018 Riskesdas basic health survey data show that cardio vascular disease and diabetes are among the highest disease burdens of the country. Nearly 11% of Indonesian adults have high blood sugar levels and 1.5% suffer from heart disease – making these groups vulnerable to developing severe COVID-19 symptoms if they become exposed to the disease.
Moreover, the same Riskesdas data show that nearly 63% of adult men in Indonesia smoke. This number is among the highest prevalence of smokers in the world.
“Smokers are at high risk for heart disease and respiratory disease, which are high risk factors for developing severe or critical disease with COVID-19,” says Dr Paranie, WHO Representative to Indonesia. “Therefore, smokers in Indonesia are at high risk for COVID-19.”
Contrary to some circulating misinformation, there is no evidence that any form of smoking reduces the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19.
While WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene, good respiratory hygiene and maintain social distancing, it is particularly important for people who are within these high-risk groups to avoid crowded places and close contact with anyone with respiratory symptoms, and practice regular hand washing and other protective measures.
Indonesia shares a collective responsibility to act to protect ourselves, our communities, and the most at-risk among us. There is no need to panic. Washing your hands (frequently, and thoroughly with soap and clean running water or alcohol-based sanitizer), covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow when coughing or sneezing, maintaining social distancing and avoidance of unnecessarily touching others, and seeking medical care if you have a fever or trouble breathing are all simple measures we can adopt to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy.
Together, we can contain the further spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia.
Further resources
WHO Indonesia information on COVID-19: www.who.int/indonesia/news/novel-coronavirus
Twitter and Instagram: @WHOIndonesia
Contact
WHO Indonesia media unit may be contacted via email at seinocomm@who.int