Indonesia records its lowest rate of positive coronavirus tests below the WHO benchmark standard of 5% this week

A woman receives a dose of the Sinovac against Covid-19 vaccine during a vaccination drive at the Baiturrahman grand mosque in Banda Aceh on Tuesday (Sept 7, 2021).- AFP

JAKARTA, Sept 7 (Reuters): Indonesia's daily coronavirus positivity rate dropped below the World Health Organisation's (WHO) benchmark standard of 5% this week for the first time, an indicator the country's devastating second wave could be easing.

The positivity rate, or the proportion of people tested who are positive, peaked at 33.4% in July when Indonesia became Asia's coronavirus epicentre, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.