SINGAPORE, May 14. /TASS/. The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in Indonesia, has surpassed 16,000, with 568 infections reported in the past 24 hours, Indonesian Health Ministry Spokesman for COVID-19 matters Achmad Yurianto informed during an online conference on Thursday.
"In the past 24 hours, 568 new cases of infection have been confirmed in the country, with the total number reaching 16,006," the official said. He noted that in the past 24 hours, 15 people had died, with the total death toll standing at 1,043. "In the past 24 hours, over 230 people have been discharged from hospitals, with the total number of recoveries surpassing 3,500," Achmad Yurianto said.
On March 2, the Indonesian government confirmed the first cases of the novel coronavirus in the country. Experts suggest that the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Indonesia may be much higher, as the coronavirus testing rate there remains one of the lowest in the world: 99 tests per one million residents. The neighboring Malaysia conducts 2,000 tests per one million residents, while the Republic of Korea and Singapore hold 10,000 tests per one million residents each. According to experts, in order to reach the level of its neighbors, Indonesia must conduct about 2.7 mln tests. As of now, only 110,000 tests have been taken in the country.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 4,442,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 298,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 1,668,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.