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Quoted from, (Intjen Kemendikbud Jakarta) – With the outbreak of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19), the public is now being introduced to terms that exist in the science of epidemiology. People now often read several terms that appear related to the pattern of a disease, including endemic, epidemic, and pandemic.
People often use these three terms incorrectly. In fact, there are different definitions between the terms.

Endemic is a disease that spreads in an area or in a group of people. Endemic is a condition or occurrence of a disease that is constant or the disease is common in a population or a certain geographic area. Examples of endemic diseases in Indonesia are malaria and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Epidemic is an infectious disease that spreads quickly over a large area and causes many victims. An increase in the number of diseases above normal which usually occurs suddenly in a population in a certain geographic area. Examples of diseases that have become epidemics are the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2019, Avian Influenza/bird flu (H5N1) in Indonesia in 2012, and SARS in 2003.

Pandemic is an epidemic that spreads simultaneously everywhere, covering a large geographic area. A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads across almost an entire country or continent, usually affecting large numbers of people. An example of a disease that has become a pandemic is Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Regarding the Covid-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia. According to the Ministry of Health, since the end of last February, the number of positive confirmed cases of Covid-19 and the positivity rate in big cities that are densely populated have continued to decline. The occupancy rate of Covid-19 hospitals in Java and outside Java is still under control.

Towards endemic, the Government is slowly easing people's mobility during the transition period to the Covid-19 endemic. The government has decided to abolish the requirement for negative results for both antigen and PCR tests for domestic travelers. This policy applies to all transportation wheels, both land, sea and air. Not only that, in line with efforts towards an endemic transition, all sports competitions have also been allowed to be attended by spectators on condition that they have received booster vaccinations and are required to use the Peduli Lindungi application to check in.

Quoted from Indonesiabaik.id: President Joko Widodo said he would start the process of transitioning from a pandemic to an endemic. The President emphasized that Covid-19 will not disappear in the near future, therefore people must be ready to live side by side with Covid-19.

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta as well as a Lung Specialist and Consultant, Prof. Dr. Reviono, dr., Sp.P(K) gave a view regarding whether it is possible to change the status of the pandemic to endemic for Covid-19? He conveyed this view when he was a resource person for the Covid Cluster Prevention Strategy Webinar during the Limited Face-to-Face Learning (PTM) on Saturday (12/3/2022). Prof. Reviono emphasized that it has been more than 2 years since the first case of Covid-19 was officially diagnosed, many people are tired of this condition and hope it will end soon. None of the experts can say for sure how this pandemic will end. Flashback to the 1918 flu pandemic, which could be a picture of a century later. After several years the fatal virus that caused the 1918 pandemic has finally subsided. As the population's immunity to infection increased, infectious mortality increased, then decreased, and the virus became less lethal seasonal influenza although its descendants are still circulating today. Learning from the 1918 flu pandemic, the virus was unlikely to disappear completely. However, it is possible that the virus, in this case Covid-19, will change its status to endemic. Factors that can influence the change in the status of the pandemic to become endemic are stable or at least predictable cases. A disease is said to be endemic if the reproduction number is stable at one, meaning that one infected person infects another person on average. Then the death rate is low and acceptable to society. Wide vaccination coverage. Experts say boosting immunity, either by vaccination or natural infection, can help push us into an endemic with Covid-19. And the emergence of herd immunity where their immune system will not be exposed to the virus.

Prof. Reviono explained that Covid-19 has turned into an endemic state, currently efforts are being made by trying to get many people to get immune protection from vaccination. Thus, the transmission of Covid-19 is reduced and only a few have to be hospitalized and the death rate is low even though the virus continues to spread. PUBLIC RELATION FK UNS.

 

Reporter  : Ari Kusbiyanto
Editor       : Muh. Dawud
Translator: Wartini