City Applies New Procedures for Swab Test According to Health Ministry's Guidelines

The COVID-19 pandemic situation in Jakarta has not improved. On Thursday (9/3), Jakarta Health Agency Head, Widyastuti explained about new guidelines carried out for swab/PCR test examination according to the 5th Revision of the Guidelines for Preventing and Controlling COVID-19. Especially for the Close Contact Cases and Confirmed Cases without symptoms.

For those who have completed their self-isolation period will be given a statement letter of completing the self-isolation from the local health service officer

People categorized as Close Contact Cases should carry out self-isolation for 14 days after the last contact with the Probable Case or Confirmed Case, without having to be tested for swab/PCR. If no symptoms appear within 14 days, then the monitoring can be stopped.

"But if symptoms appear, the Close Contact Cases should be tested for swab/PCR. For those who have completed their self-isolation period will be given a statement letter of completing the self-isolation from the local health service officer," she conveyed in Jakarta PPID Press Release.

Jakarta's Latest Official COVID-19 Cases as of September 2

For Confirmed Cases, she continued, there are difference with the previous public health management. "The Confirmed Cases without symptoms, or with mild symptoms and moderate symptoms don't need to follow up or repeat swab/PCR test. While for Confirmed Cases with severe/critical symptoms, it is still necessary to follow up or repeat swab/PCR test at hospital," she said.

Furthermore, she explained the details about criteria for Confirmed Cases that have declared complete self-isolation, as follows:

1. Confirmed Cases without symptoms who have undergone self-isolation for 10 days since the day when they were diagnosed positive.

2. Confirmed Cases with mild or moderate symptoms declared complete the isolation period after undergone self-isolation for 10 days after the date they confirmed positive, plus at least 3 days after they no longer show symptoms of fever and respiratory problems.

3. Confirmed Cases with Severe Symptoms needed to follow up the examination by retaking swab/PCR test. The result must be negative and show no symptoms of fever and respiratory problems for at least 3 days.

Based on research by Bullard and Wolfel (2020), the majority of COVID-19 patients with symptoms can only infect other people up to 7-9 days after the symptoms appear. Research showed that virus causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) cannot be cultured after 7-9 days since the symptoms last appeared. Thus it is no longer able to infect other people.  

Meanwhile, for COVID-19 patients without symptoms, it is proven that they can still produce positive viral culture based on research. Therefore, COVID-19 patients without symptoms can still transmit to the others, in other words they are required to undergo self-isolation.