Indonesia records its lowest rate of positive coronavirus tests

Jakarta

Indonesia's daily coronavirus positivity rate dropped belowthe World Health Organization's (WHO) benchmark standard of 5% this week forthe first time, an indicator the country's devastating second wave could beeasing.

The positivity rate, or the proportion of people tested whoare positive, peaked at 33.4% in July when Indonesia became Asia's coronavirusepicentre, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

On Monday that rate fell to 4.57%, the lowest since March2020, when Indonesia's first cases were reported, according to independent datainitiative, Kawal COVID-19. A rate above 5% indicates coronvirus is out ofcontrol, the WHO says.

Kawal co-founder Elina Ciptadi said the trend was a goodsign, although she cautioned that official data could not capture a dearth ofunderreported cases and deaths.

"All in all, what we are seeing is encouraging,"she said. Since its July peak, the average positivity rate has fallen steadily,from 23.8% in the first week of August to 11.3% in the final week of thatmonth, to 6.2% on average so far in September

Coronavirus restrictions were eased further on Monday, withmost areas on Java island downgraded, allowing conditional operation of malls,factories and restaurants. But President Joko Widodo urged Indonesians not tobe complacent.

"People need to realise that COVID is alwayslurking," he said. "When our guards are down, (cases) can increaseagain." Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman from Australia's Griffith Universitysaid testing and tracing efforts remain weak.

"I'm both happy and worried about the decline," hesaid. "There were efforts from the government, but not strong enough toget us out of the crisis period," he said, adding improvements were mostlyin big cities. Weekly health ministry data last week shows severalprovinces still recording high positivity rates, with Aceh at 17.4% and NorthKalimantan at 16.7%.

COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said thegovernment would keep improving its testing and tracing capability. "We'rehoping this good condition can be upheld," he added.