Day: July 3, 2021

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government has set the ceiling price for drugs used in COVID-19 treatment through the issuance of Health Minister’s Decree No. HK.01.07/MENKES/4826/2021.

“Yesterday afternoon, we have signed the health minister’s decree on the ceiling price of drugs used for the coronavirus disease 2019. This is the ceiling price for medicines sold at drug stores, pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities across Indonesia,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated here on Saturday.

The drugs used in COVID-19 treatment comprise Favipiravir 200 mg tablet, with the ceiling price set at Rp22,500; Remdesivir 100 mg injection, at Rp510,000 per vial; Oseltamivir 75 mg priced at Rp26,000 per capsule; and Intravenous Immunoglobulin 5 percent 50 ml infusion costing Rp3,262,300.

The others used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients are intravenous Immunoglobulin 10 percent 25 ml infusion at Rp3,965,000; Intravenous Immunoglobulin 10 percent 50 ml infusion priced at Rp6,174,900; Ivermectin 12 mg tablet at Rp7,500; and Tocilizumab 400 mg/20 ml infusion in vial available for Rp5,710,600.

Tocilizumab 80 mg/4 ml infusion in vial form costing Rp1,162,200; Azithromycin 500 at Rp1,700 per tablet; and Tocilizumab 500 mg infusion at Rp95,400 are others deployed in the COVID-19 treatment regime.

“Those are 11 drugs used during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have set the ceiling price,” Sadikin remarked.

The minister explained that the decision seeks to thwart the attempts of speculators to derive high profits that would further hinder the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Sudirman-Thamrin road bore a deserted look on Saturday, the first day of the implementation of the emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) for controlling the spread of COVID-19.

Police installed barricades at several intersection points on one of Jakarta’s main roads on Saturday to limit the mobility of residents, ANTARA reported from the capital.

Barricades were placed to cut access from Thamrin road to the Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout, while the route from Sudirman road to Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) was also temporarily closed, with traffic redirected to the SCBD area, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

The route to the Senayan Roundabout was also barricaded and traffic diverted to Senopati-Patimura roads.

Several police officers, assisted by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), were put on standby at a number of points, including at intersections, including the one on Pintu Satu Senayan road or near FX Sudirman to Sudirman road.

Drivers on Asia Afrika road headed to Sudirman road via Pintu Satu Senayan road were also asked to turn around.

However, officers made exceptions for drivers taking sick residents to the hospital.

A traffic congestion was reported in the area, but officers on duty stepped in to break up the jam.

By 11 a.m. local time on Saturday, there was no traffic congestion on the route from the Sudirman-Thamrin road to the Senayan Roundabout due to traffic restrictions on the first day of emergency PPKM.

Earlier, Jakarta Police had implemented isolation measures at 63 entry and exit points for Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jadetabek) in accordance with the Implementation of the Java-Bali Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

“There are 63 points that we are guarding, consisting of 28 points on city limits and toll roads, then 21 points for mobility restrictions in locations prone to violations,” traffic director of Jakarta Police, Senior Commissioner Sambodo Purnomo Yogo, said in Jakarta on Friday (July 2, 2021).

The isolation measures were enforced from 12 a.m. WIB on Saturday, with only individuals working in the essential sector allowed to venture outside the home.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – As many as 152,625 Indonesians received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, thereby bringing the count of fully vaccinated people to 13,922,732.

Meanwhile, the number of people having received their first COVID-19 dose rose by 681,419 to reach 31,573,240 as of Saturday.

The government is endeavoring to expedite the national vaccination program to attain herd immunity and handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

To this end, the government is planning to vaccinate 40,349,049 people in the first and second phases of the national vaccination program. The targeted vaccine recipients comprise healthcare workers, public service officers, and senior citizens.

Earlier, the Drug and Food Control Agency (BPOM) had issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna Inc. in Indonesia.

An EUA was issued for the Moderna vaccine based on the outcome of a study conducted by the Expert Team of the COVID-19 Vaccine Appraisal National Committee and the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI).

“BPOM’s task is to support the government in ensuring and evaluating that the vaccines used in Indonesia meet the aspects of quality, security, and efficacy,” BPOM Chief Penny K. Lukito stated.

Overall, the government is seeking to vaccinate 181.5 million citizens, or 70 percent of the country’s population, to create herd immunity against the virus.

To expedite vaccinations, the government has been making all-out efforts to increase the capacity of inoculation services.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The policy of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) enforcement was issued in order to ensure safety of the public at large, according to the president’s special staff on communication, Fadjroel Rachman.

“Emergency PPKM is the brake lever to save Indonesian citizens from the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joko Widodo took the decision to issue the emergency PPKM policy based on the recommendations of experts and regional administrations as well as in tune with the public aspirations,” Rachman wrote in a press release received here on Saturday.

Such policy was legally based on the Home Affairs Ministry’s Instruction No. 5 of 2021 on emergency PPKM enforcement due to the coronavirus disease 2019 in the regions of Java and Bali, the spokesperson noted.

The emergency PPKM enforcement period started on Saturday, July 3, 2021, and is applicable until Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in Java and Bali islands in accordance with the World Health Organization’s reference assessment criteria on transmission rate indicators and response capacity.

“The WHO has been divided into four levels, based on the confirmed cases, hospital treatment, death rate, and 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment). Currently, as many as 74 districts or towns in Java Island and Bali were placed on level 3 and 48 districts/towns on level 4,” Rachman noted.

The emergency PPKM policy was part of the implementation of health protocols. Apart from the health protocols, a critical effort in handling the COVID-19 pandemic is to expedite the vaccination program, he pointed out.

Rachman emphasized President Joko Widodo’s unwavering efforts in pushing the prioritized or red-zoned districts or towns to meet the vaccination target at 70 percent of the total population no later than August 2021.

“The government will utilize all existing resources to curb the spread of COVID-19. All state apparatuses, TNI (Indonesian army), Polri (National Police), state civil apparatus, doctors, and health workers have to work hand in hand to optimally handle this outbreak,” he highlighted.

The Health Ministry is also striving to ramp up the capacity of hospitals, centered-isolation facilities, medicine supplies, health equipment, and oxygen tanks, he stated.

“Indonesian people have proved to care about one another and keep up the togetherness in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, President Joko Widodo believed that they are able to stay disciplined in following health protocols during and after the emergency PPKM enforcement,” he explained.

Rachman stressed that the head of state had requested the people to stay calm and vigilant, abide by the rules, stay disciplined in observing health protocols, and support the COVID-19 handling efforts of the government and volunteers.

“The Indonesian nation can always emerge out of the crisis on account of the togetherness for protecting one another as well as through sound cooperation between the public and government. It is time for us to protect each other and love our fellow Indonesians and human beings,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit Seluma district of Bengkulu province on Saturday night, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The quake, which struck at 8.09 p.m. local time, was centered 41 kilometers southwest of Seluma at a depth of 26 kilometers, the agency reported.

The tremor was felt at magnitude II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale in Liwa, Enggano, Mukomuko; at MMI III in Central Bengkulu, Bengkulu City, Argamakmur, and Kepahiang; and, at MMI IV in Manna.

Bengkulu is among the Indonesian provinces prone to earthquakes.

On June 27, 2021, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Mukomuko district of Bengkulu province, though no damages or casualties were reported in the quake.

The epicenter of the quake was located 50 kilometers southwest of Mukomuko at a depth of 22 kilometers, according to the BMKG.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government said the first day of imposition of emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java and Bali went smoothly on Saturday.

“From various reports compiled from the fields until this afternoon, the implementation of the emergency PPKM went smoothly, in an orderly manner, and in accordance with the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 15 of 2021,” Jodi Mahardi, spokesperson for the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, said in a press statement broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube account here on Saturday.

If there are any irregularities, the local governments and field officers must immediately evaluate and intervene to correct them, he advised.

“Remember, this emergency PPKM action is to save lives. The President’s orders are clear. We are taking more decisive and measurable steps,” he remarked.

Mahardi also reiterated that Indonesia’s COVID situation is currently not okay owing to a drastic spike in infections.

Indonesia saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with 27,913 new infections and 493 deaths reported across the country. The number of single-day recoveries stood at 13,282, while active cases were pegged at 281,677.

“This unusual condition requires extraordinary measures. The transmission must be controlled. Hence, it has been agreed with the local governments that community activity restrictions are to be carried out up to the sub-district level,” Mahardi said.

With the second wave of COVID-19 infections driving rates of hospitalization and deaths to record highs, the government has decided to impose emergency restrictions in Java and Bali Islands from July 3 to July 20, 2021.

The new restrictions aim to cut daily cases to below 10 thousand and entail a work-from-home guidance for all non-essential sectors and the continued closure of schools and universities.

During the emergency restrictions, public amenities like beaches, parks, tourist attractions, and places of worship will remain closed, while restaurants will be allowed to only offer take-away or delivery services.

Source: Antara News