Day: November 15, 2021

Diabetes problem in Indonesia has exhibited an iceberg phenomenon that necessitates early detection efforts to lower the risk of complications that could result in death, Vice Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono stated.

“In a survey that we conducted in Jakarta, those who were detected with diabetes reaches only one-third of the entire figure,” Harbuwono noted during the World Diabetes Day 2021 online press conference here on Monday.

“When we conducted a survey on healthy people, two-thirds of them did not know that they have diabetes. It is an iceberg phenomenon,” he remarked.

Harbuwono attributed obesity as being one of the causes of diabetes. According to the Health Ministry’s recent study, one out of eight people in Jakarta suffers from diabetes.

However, the vice health minister ensured that the occurrence of diabetes was unrelated to the city environment.

The same situation was observed at other places, such as Nangapanda in East Nusa Tenggara, and North Maluku, the location with the highest rate of diabetes.

The vice minister highlighted that genetics was the biggest factor of diabetes in Indonesia.

“Genetic predisposition is one of the causes of the future generation contracting diabetes,” he explained.

In commemoration of World Diabetes Day 2021, the ministry is taking comprehensive steps to accelerate the implementation of the diabetes-handling road map through cooperation with several related organizations, ministries or institutions, and regional governments.

In general, the road map is segregated into handling in the upstream to downstream sectors through the application of a promotional, preventive, and surveillance strategy.

Promotional and preventive efforts are aimed at leading a healthy lifestyle, such as following a diet that is low in sugar and salt as well as disseminating information on health screening.

Meanwhile, the ministry, along with the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), has put in place the Basic Health Need (KDK) Program that allows citizens to routinely check their blood sugar rate, with the costs borne by the government.

“From the genetic epidemiology study, nobody is free from genetic susceptibility to diabetics, and everyone can likely contract diabetes. Promotional and preventive strategies should be applied,” Harbuwono affirmed.

In the treatment stage, screening efforts are deemed necessary to promptly prevent the emergence of disease complications triggered by blood sugar, he noted.

“We are not only treating blood sugar but also preventing complications, such as stroke and heart attack, the need for blood cleaning, amputations, and other factors,” he elaborated.

The vice minister explained that diabetes is diagnosed by fasting blood sugar of greater than or equal of 126 mg/dl, over 200 mg/dl after meal, or average blood sugar level for the past three months that exceeded 6.5 percent.

However, at that stage, precautionary measures are too late, he noted. Oftentimes, uncontrolled blood sugar levels are causal to a host of other diseases that increase the costs borne by the state for patients.

“By maximizing preventive efforts, we could save the cost for treatment of complications, so that the accrued costs outside of diabetes could be reduced. Treating diabetes is very important,” he emphasized.

Source: Antara News

Research from the non-governmental health organization Health Collaborative Center (HCC) indicated that Indonesians vaccinated against COVID-19 tend to comply more with health protocols as compared to their non-vaccinated counterparts.

“Despite having an immunity advantage, those who have been vaccinated have a better score in our COVID-19 prevention assessment, as they recorded a score of 52 points, closer to 60 points,” the founder and researcher of HCC Dr Ray Wagiu Basrowi stated during a virtual press conference on Monday.

The HCC’s COVID-19 Prevention Behaviour Index (CPBI) utilized a questionnaire to assess COVID-19 prevention measures adopted by members of a community, with a higher score indicating better quality in terms of the COVID-19 prevention behavior, the researcher revealed.

The CPBI assessment involving over 1,800 respondents from 24 provinces revealed that vaccinated individuals recorded 52 points on their COVID-19 prevention behavior, higher than respondents, who were not inoculated or not intended to get vaccinated, that recorded a score of only 48 points.

Respondents that came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or those with family members infected with the coronavirus also recorded a high prevention score of 52 points, from the score range of 10-60 points, he stated.

Respondents who recovered from the COVID-19 infection also recorded 52 points, yet the score range on this respondent group is only 20-60 points.

“This group of residents, who have been infected with the COVID-19 disease or those whose family members or relatives had contracted the disease, recorded a better score in the COVID-19 prevention behavior,” Basrowi stated.

Respondents have rational considerations that induce them to behave with caution, vigil, or concern and take measures to prevent the infection, he remarked.

“The research also revealed that one factor that increases their anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic was news reports,” the doctor stated.

The survey indicated that 39.7 percent of the respondents were concerned, while 16.9 percent of the respondents were highly concerned by news reports on the COVID-19 pandemic that compelled them to comply with health protocols, he reported.

“Respondents are behaving more carefully and complying with the enforced health protocols after watching news reports on the COVID-19 second wave or overwhelmed hospitals and health workers,” Basrowi noted.

Source: Antara News

The government is still reviewing the possibility of Indonesia’s participation in the Vaccinated Travel Lanes program to revive its tourism sector, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said.

The Vaccinated Travel Lanes program is a tourism concept implemented by several countries, including those in the Asia-Pacific, that is geared toward fully vaccinated travelers who possess vaccination certificates.

“The study on the Vaccinated Travel Lanes program continues to be carried out, and the government continues to monitor the rate of cases in various countries,” Hartarto said following an evaluation meeting on the mobility restrictions policy in the Presidential Palace Complex, here on Monday.

President Joko Widodo has instructed his ministers to keep an eye on policies regarding visits from foreign tourists, he added.

The government will scrutinize the pandemic situation in countries before establishing any travel agreements, especially considering the situation in Indonesia, where the pandemic is considerably under better control compared to other nations, he informed.

As per the data presented by the minister, currently, Indonesia has one COVID-19 case per 100 thousand residents. In comparison, Thailand has 89 cases per 100 thousand citizens, Singapore has 454 cases, Malaysia 127 cases, and Australia 51 cases, the minister pointed out.

Data as of November 14 has pegged the number of active COVID-19 cases in Indonesia at 9,018, with a daily increase of 339 cases.

Indonesia previously planned to open up a travel corridor with several countries, including Malaysia.

Both Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob have carried out bilateral talks regarding the plan.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian government is still prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for the elderly and adults over children, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“The elderly tend to have more risk with COVID-19 than children. We are prioritizing vaccinating the elderly among whom now the coverage is still around 40 percent. Once it is finished then we will start to vaccinate other groups with a lower risk of fatality,” the minister informed while delivering a statement at the Jakarta Presidential Office on Monday.

He made the statement after attending a limited meeting led by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on the evaluation of Community Mobility Restrictions (PPKM).

“Child vaccinations will be given based on risk. That is why we vaccinated the health workers first because they get to meet suspected patients every day,” Sadikin explained.

The elderly tend to be at greater risk of death if they contract COVID-19, he noted. This age group has the highest fatality rate of 12 percent, thus, it is important to vaccinate the elderly, he said. In comparison, the fatality rate among children is below 1 percent, he informed.

However, regarding face-to-face learning in school, Minister Sadikin said that the government still needs to consider the plan in order to protect children.

Moreover, elderly vaccinations must be finished first to help the vaccinators focus on their job, he added.

“If we decided to vaccinate children and the elderly at the same time, the vaccinators’ concentration will be split. Let us focus on the elderly first, then continue with vaccinating children,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged 6-11 would target 26.4 million children. The vaccination will be given in two doses, he said.

According to Health Ministry data, currently, 130,616,514 first doses and 84,552,446 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the country.

As many as 1,191,298 third doses have been provided to health workers, the ministry said. Meanwhile, just 9,495,112 first doses and 5,958,573 second doses have been administered among the elderly, it added.

Source: Antara News

The Health Ministry is reviewing alternative COVID-19 medications for use besides Molnuvirapir in case a third wave of coronavirus infections occurs in early 2022, Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“Molnuvirapir is expected to arrive in Indonesia by the end of this year and we will be ready to use it next year,” he informed during a press conference after an evaluation meeting on community mobility restrictions (PPKM) on Monday.

Antivirus mediations are needed to handle any potential spikes in infections, he added.

The Ministry of Health is continuing to work closely with the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) to review alternative COVID-19 antivirus medicines, he said.

“We are also continuing to examine other alternative medicines similar to Molnuvirapir which can reduce the risk of hospitalization in suspected patients,” he informed.

The government is trying to bring 600 thousand to 1 million Molnuvirapir doses in Indonesia in December 2021 through a direct purchase scheme with producers, he added.

“We are still waiting for the issuance of an emergency-use permit by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is expected to be out in early December,” the Health Minister informed.

Pharmaceutical company Merck & Co has applied to FDA for a permit to use its drug, Molnupiravir. This makes the drug the first COVID-19 oral antivirus medication for which a license has been sought, Sadikin noted.

The Indonesian government has reached an agreement to purchase Molnupiravir, he informed. The medicine, which is claimed to cut mortality and hospitalization risk by 50 percent can be purchased at a price ranging from US$40 to US$50, or equivalent to Rp568 thousand to Rp710 thousand, he said.

Earlier, Minister Sadikin had said that Pfizer has prepared the Ritonavir COVID-19 antivirus pill, which it claims reduces severe symptoms in people suffering from COVID-19.

The pill can cut the chances of hospitalization and death in adults at risk of severe disease by 89 percent, he noted.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has surpassed the target set by the World Health Organization (WHO), spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations for the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, has said.

As per the WHO target, countries need to vaccinate at least 40 percent of their population by the end of 2021.

“Indonesia has managed to achieve it (vaccinated 40 percent of its population) faster than the WHO target,” Tarmizi said in a written statement received here on Monday.

The WHO had asked all countries to vaccinate at least 10 percent of their population by the end of September 2021, 40 percent of the people by the end of 2021, and 70 percent by mid-2022, she noted.

As of Sunday, Indonesia has administered around 215.6 million vaccine doses and vaccinated 130.3 million people with the first dose and 84.1 million people with the second dose, she informed. The nation is targeting to inoculate 208.2 million under the national immunization program, she said.

Meanwhile, the number of recipients who have received the booster or third dose has reached 1.19 million, she added.

According to Tarmizi, this achievement has been the result of the hard work of all sections of the nation who provided the vaccines and all Indonesian people who participated in the country’s vaccination program.

The stock of COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia as of Saturday (November 13, 2021) stood at 342.5 million doses, both in finished and bulk form, she informed. Indonesia also received 4 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine on Saturday, she said.

Tarmizi then appealed to the public to not doubt or be picky regarding the vaccines used in the national vaccination program. The government guarantees that the vaccines administered to the public are safe, of good quality, and beneficial, she assured.

According to her, COVID-19 vaccines make the body relatively more resistant to the virus, help prevent symptoms and hospitalization, as well as reduce the mortality risk.

“However, it (a vaccine) does not make people 100-percent immune to viral infections, so they can still be infected and infect (other people). For those who have been vaccinated, please continue to follow the 5M health protocols,” she remarked.

Source: Antara News