Indonesia Quarantining People Who Came Back from Wuhan But Not Testing Them Due to High Cost

2020-02-07 , 5:00 pm

The Wuhan coronavirus is worrying not just because of its fatality rate. The symptoms are terrifyingly similar to the common flu as well.

Which is why other than quarantining suspect Wuhan virus cases, health authorities will carry out tests to determine if they really contracted the coronavirus.

Indonesia, on the other hand, is only quarantining their citizens who were evacuated from Wuhan.

“There’s No Need Because They Are Healthy”

According to a senior Indonesian health official, there is “no need” to conduct a coronavirus test on the 243 people who returned to Indonesia from Wuhan.

They are all healthy, he assures.

Only if they are not well, feverish, coughing and sneezing will they take samples for testing.

The group of evacuees consist of 238 Indonesian students and 5 Indonesian embassy officials.

They will be quarantined at a military base for the next two weeks.

“It’s Too Expensive”

But it turns out that the Indonesian health ministry didn’t make their decision based on a whim.

There was another factor in their decision as well: the cost.

The spokesperson added that if they were to test all of the people under quarantine, it would be a costly affair.

According to them, the compound required to test for the presence of the Wuhan virus costs around US$73,035.

Each person has to be tested twice to ensure that the results are accurate.

They assure the media that, however, if it’s necessary to conduct the test, they will do it.

In Compliance With World Health’s Organisation’s (WHO) Guideline

Naturally, given how the coronavirus seems to be transferring between borders easily, everyone is wondering if Indonesia is complying with WHO guidelines.

After all, similar to dengue, if only one person decided not to do the mozzie wipeout, everybody will suffer.

The health ministry said that their actions are in compliance with WHO’s guidelines and recommendations.

It was added that they will only tighten up on their measures if asked to by the international body.

Indonesia Has Escaped From The Brunt Of The Coronavirus

In China, the Wuhan virus has hit a critical point with fatalities and infections far surpassing SARS back in 2003.

In Singapore, the conditions of two patients infected with the coronavirus have worsened, with one requiring assistive breathing and the other in the ICU.

But Indonesia seems to have siam-ed the Wuhan virus totally.

Since the outbreak, they have conducted 42 tests for the coronavirus and all of them came back negative.

Their perfect track record has led some to speculate if the country’s tests are insufficient to test for the presence of the coronavirus.

Of course, it could also be a lower usage of air-conditioning which allows them to minimise the virus, according to researchers at the Hong Kong University (HKU).

Preparing For The Worst

Nonetheless, the Indonesian health ministry is still preparing for an outbreak in the country.

So far, they have equipped 100 hospitals across the country with the ability to receive and treat patients with the coronavirus.

They are also improving laboratories across the country so that each and every one of them can test for the Wuhan virus.