Bali governor warns against euphoria amid hopeful signs in COVID-19 crisis

Bali Governor Wayan Koster is cautioning his citizens to remain cautious against COVID-19, saying that the coronavirus still poses a threat even as the province has managed to keep transmissions low in recent weeks. 

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“We cannot be too euphoric, and we must remain cautious as we consider COVID-19 developments, [the outbreak is] still very dangerous especially with the new Mu variant that has been found in several countries,” Koster said in a statement.

The highly infectious Delta variant brought about Bali’s most devastating COVID-19 wave in July and August, when it recorded some of its highest daily infections and death toll. A new variant, Mu, is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO), which still classifies it as a variant of interest.  

According to data from Bali’s COVID-19 Task Force, around 40 percent of those who have been vaccinated in the province were infected with the coronavirus, while 92 percent of those who died to COVID-19 had not been vaccinated. The information is yet another reminder that vaccinations do not fully prevent coronavirus infections, but are still highly effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. 

In addition, Bali officials found that centralized isolation is more effective in curbing transmissions, after self-isolation among confirmed patients was suspected to have driven the significant rise in COVID-19 cases in the region. 

However, Koster said people ought to remain vigilant as the daily death count remains above 10, even as daily new infections have declined.

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