During the decline in Covid-19 cases in Indonesia, there is still a vigilance of the coming third wave as experienced by other countries like Malaysia and Japan for example. Based on experience from the second wave of cases in previous months, there was an increase in Covid-19 cases when the activity was reopened and some restrictions lifted. As a precautionary measure to deal with the possibility of a third wave, there are three things that can be done.
Get Vaccinated
The first step to prevent the third wave is to get yourself to the vaccination program. As explained by Soriano et.al (2021), vaccination is one of the preventive efforts to maximize health protection and to curb the spread of Covid-19 cases . Moreover, to support activities outside the home, everyone must follow vaccinations as an effort to prevent Covid-19 cases and form immunity in the community. This requires the participation of the community to support the effectiveness of the running of vaccination programs held by the government. High participation of the community in vaccination, especially in groups that are allowed to be vaccinated based on certain age and health conditions will help accelerate towards the goal of herd immunity. The effort will also be boosted with the availability of different types of vaccines provided in vaccination programs held by the government.
Maintaining Health Protocols during Activities
Next, the step that can be done as a third wave prevention is to maintain health protocols. As economic activity resumes, the implementation of health protocols remains, such as wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining distance, staying away from crowds, avoiding eating together, and reducing mobility. Judging from the experience of the second wave yesterday, the coronavirus variant spread very quickly but was not accompanied by the implementation of strict health protocols. The surge in Covid-19 cases is unpredictable, but seeing neighboring countries such as Malaysia which now experience a significant spike in cases makes us should be aware of the similar trend. As a result, implementing health protocols is the key to prevention and to minimize the spread of the virus in the midst of ongoing activities.
Other Efforts to Stop the Spread of Coronavirus
In addition to the implementation of strict health protocols, other efforts are also needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, such as being aware of the pattern of Covid-19 waves and knowing how the virus can mutate. For example by lLearning how new variants like the Delta variant are formed whichthat spreads rapidly and dominates the previous wave of Covid-19 cases. Seeing this pattern, optimizing social distancing to control people's mobility can be an effective step in breaking the chain of Covid-19 cases. In addition, we also need to remember that there are vulnerable groups who have not been able to access vaccination programs and become affected by Covid-19 virus infection due to uncontrolled movements. This prevention effort needs to be done to make us more aware forof the possibility of the next wave that can not be predicted when it will cometime.
In sum, the third wave of Covid-19 can be prevented through mutual awareness to follow vaccinations, strictly implement health protocols, and make other efforts as a health defense booster. In addition, you can also find out the latest developments about Covid-19 cases in Jakarta by accessing the information at the corona.jakarta.go.id or Covid-19 Response dedicated menu in JAKI. You can get the app through Google Play Store and Apps Store.
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