The government of Bangka Belitung Islands will use a serologic survey to optimize COVID-19 handling and break the chain of virus transmission in the province.

“This serology survey is a follow-up to the direction of Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian in optimizing the handling of COVID-19,” Bangka Belitung Islands Governor Erzaldi Rosman Djohan said in Pangkalpinang city on Saturday.

During a two-day working visit to Bangka Belitung Islands, the Home Affairs Minister advised the provincial government to conduct a serologic survey so that the handling of COVID-19 can be more focused, quickly directed, and efficient.

“The minister has advised that handling measures should be more centralized by tackling it quickly so it would be more efficient and targeted in enforcing policies in COVID-19 handling,” he explained.

According to Djohan, future policies of the Bangka Belitung Islands province will be based on the results of the serologic survey.

“If this survey is carried out, it will solidify the steps in making decisions, such as vaccinations,” he explained.

The secretary of the province’s COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Mikron Antariksa, said that he supported the strategy of using a serologic survey for more precise COVID-19 handling.

Based on the latest data, 311 COVID-19 patients have recovered in Bangka Belitung Islands: 91 people in Pangkalpinang city, 33 in Bangka district, 52 in Central Bangka, 26 in West Bangka, 23 in South Bangka, 49 in Belitung, and 37 in East Belitung, he informed.

Meanwhile, the province has added 251 new cases, which have taken the number of total cases in the province to 47,928, he said.

“Today, the number of patients who died increased by 10 people, bringing the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 exposure to 1,252,” he added. I

Source: Antara News