While Indonesia's neighbours scrambled early this year to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the government of the world's fourth most populous nation insisted that everything was fine, AP reports.

In speeches, Indonesia's health minister, Terawan Agus Putranto, told his country's people that they shouldn't fear the virus, even as tens of thousands around the world were being infected.

Rather than focus on creating social distancing guidelines or ramping up testing, Putranto credited Indonesian immunity and the strength of prayer for the country's lack of any infections. He dismissed as "insulting” a report by Harvard University researchers that said Indonesia must have elected not to report its cases.

Indonesia did not even confirm its first case of the virus until early March. As of Tuesday, the nation had reported at least 7,135 infections including 616 deaths. That's more Covid-19 fatalities than all other Asian counties except China.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo acknowledged last month that the government chose to keep the public misinformed about the state of the coronavirus in the country.

"Indeed, we did not deliver certain information to the public because we did not want to stir panic," he said.