Day: January 10, 2022

An expert at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) pressed for further improving the ability to trace contacts to find more cases of COVID-19 infection in the community.

“We know that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, if there is one case, about 30 people must be traced. Perhaps, we are not quite there yet, but many have been conducting tracing,” a researcher at the agency’s Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, Amin Soebandrio, noted in the statement here on Monday.

Soebandrio stated that the 3T (testing, contact tracing, treatment) strategy must be implemented more in cases of the Omicron variant, as people infected with this variant could be asymptomatic or only show mild symptoms.

Additionally, the Omicron variant had a more rampant transmission as compared to its Delta counterpart. A single case of Delta could infect some 6-8 people.

Omicron is also capable of inflicting repeated infections in people that already contracted COVID-19.

Thus, tracing should be expedited in order to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The researcher noted that currently, contact tracing capabilities in Indonesia varied widely per case, but it had yet to meet the standard set by the WHO that mandates 30 traced people per COVID-19 case.

Nonetheless, the government had made efforts to boost the capacity of contact tracing and testing in the country that had gradually improved, he opined.

“Regarding Omicron, currently, the government’s efforts (to trace close contacts) are much better than in the past,” Amin stressed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing and testing capabilities must be further enhanced, as they contribute immensely in the discovery of cases and thus stem the spread of the virus.

When cases of COVID-19 are found in the public, interventions in the form of isolation and treatment could be made to prevent further transmission.

“If it is known who the contact is, then the contact must also be checked. If they were positive, they will be tested again, so it will be a chain,” he added.

Source: Antara News

The Jakarta provincial government has imposed micro-scale lockdown in several areas following an increase in the number of cases of the Omicron variant.

“In several areas, the micro lockdown is managed by the local government and the community there,” Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Jakarta Health Office Dwi Oktavia noted here on Monday.

However, Oktavia did not furnish detailed information on how many areas in the capital had implemented micro lockdown. Areas, with a high number of COVID-19 positive cases occurring simultaneously, will implement the policy.

Earlier, as many as 36 residents in Krukut Village, Taman Sari Sub-district, West Jakarta, had tested positive for COVID-19.

“Of the 36 people, one person, with the initial R, contracted the Omicron variant,” she added.

According to Oktavia, R is estimated to have contracted the virus through local transmission, as she did not have a recent history of having travelled abroad.

She noted that the 36 Krukut residents are currently undergoing treatment at the Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital in Kemayoran, Jakarta.

As of January 9, 2022, the provincial government of Jakarta had recorded some 1,885 active COVID-19 cases out of which 75.1 percent, or 1,415 people, are those who had travelled abroad.

From the total count of active cases, 407 had contracted the Omicron variant. As many as 350 out of the 407 patients are people that had recently travelled abroad, while the rest 57 had contracted the virus through local transmission.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 9, 2022, at least 4,266,195 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,115,958 people have recovered, and 144,129 people have succumbed to the virus.

Source: Antara News

Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, affirmed that usage of the Nusantara vaccine in hospitals differed from that of other brands of vaccines.

“The Nusantara vaccine will certainly continue to be promoted and is currently being given in hospitals. Of course, its usage is a bit different because it is a form of immunotherapy administered through medical equipment,” the minister noted during an online press conference on Monday.

On the other hand, some of the Red and White Vaccines that entered the trial stage comprised the vaccine manufactured through collaboration between Airlangga University and Biotis and the vaccine produced by Baylor and State-owned Enterprises.

Hartarto also drew attention to the vaccination rate at the 2022 Moto GP location in West Nusa Tenggara, with a capacity to accommodate 64 thousand spectators. The rate of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination in Mataram had reached 78 percent; West Lombok, 57.9 percent; Central Lombok, 61 percent; East Lombok, 57 percent; and North Lombok, 69 percent.

“The third dose of vaccination is expected to be administered in January, February, and March,” Hartarto stated.

Furthermore, he noted that G20-related meetings would be resumed in January, such as several Sherpa Meetings, comprising Civil 20, Super Audit 20, Youth 20, Business Forum 20, Women 20, and Urban 20. The meetings will be conducted through virtual and in-person methods, he noted.

“The Finance Track will be conducted but entirely in a virtual manner. The government will issue a separate circular regarding the implementation of G20 that will regulate various activities,” Hartarto remarked.

Coordinating Minister Airlangga expects the series of G20 activities to be executed in accordance with health protocols. Based on the Finance Track and Sherpa Track in December 2021, the participants were satisfied with the travel bubble policy imposed by Indonesia.

Source: Antara News

Hundreds of residents of Bumi Mangli Permai Housing affected by the flash flood in Jember District, East Java, began removing mud and debris from their homes on Monday.

The residents cleared mud from their homes and the streets with the assistance of volunteers, Jember Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) personnel, Indonesian Military members, and the National Police.

“We worked together to clean the houses that were deluged by floodwaters reaching 1.5 meters,” Muhajir, a Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq State Islamic University student renting a house in Bumi Mangli Permai, said.

Muhajir said that he and three of his friends were inside the house when the flash flood struck. Two of his friends were injured by broken fencing while trying to get away, he added.

He said the house, which he shared with his friends, was severely damaged and many pieces of furniture were washed away due to broken walls and fencing.

“Mattresses, mats, clothes, and some furniture were washed away. Even our textbooks were carried away by the flash flood. We were just thinking of how to survive it,” he explained.

Hadi Sumarsono, who owns a minimarket inside the housing area, said he lost several gallons of water and a motorcycle in the flood.

“Many gallons of water were lost because of flash floods, even my motorcycle was found in a badly damaged condition,” he added.

Based on data from the Jember Disaster Mitigation Agency, at least 440 houses and three public facilities were affected by the flash flood that hit three sub-districts: Panti, Kaliwates, and Rambipuji on Sunday (January 9, 2022) afternoon.

Three people died in the flood: a couple from Kemiri village of Panti sub-district were washed away by the river while trying to cross it, while one person died of cold, the agency said.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia has advanced to fourth place globally in terms of COVID-19 vaccination coverage, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin informed at a press conference on Monday.

“In terms of vaccinations, this week, thank God, Indonesia managed to rise to the fourth rank globally, surpassing Brazil in terms of the number of people vaccinated,” the minister said.

Indonesia is currently behind China, which has administered 1.2 billion doses, India 880 million doses, and the United States 246 million in the number of vaccines administered, he added.

According to Sadikin, Indonesia has administered more than 169 million COVID-19 vaccines, surpassing Brazil, which has provided 166 million doses so far.

A total of 288 million doses have been given to Indonesians so far, with first doses administered to about 170 million people and second doses to 116 million people, he informed.

Indonesia has received a total of 446 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, he said.

“So, if 288 million have been administered, there are still more than 150 million doses that we can provide,” he said.

The minister also said that President Joko Widodo will soon provide the technical guidance for the COVID-19 booster vaccination.

“Mr. President has agreed and there will be a special press conference by him to give an update regarding this booster vaccine,” he informed.

Sadikin also said that five provinces have not reached the 70-percent target for the first dose—West Sumatra, West Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua, and Papua.

“Almost all provinces have reached 70 percent. Last week, there were Aceh province, West Kalimantan province,” he said.

According to data from the COVID-19 Task Force, as of Monday, an additional 392,712 people received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, thereby increasing the coverage to 170,536,338 people.

Meanwhile, 179,332 people received the second dose, bringing the total number of recipients of the complete dose to 116,999,284.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo will announce the mechanism for the COVID-19 booster vaccine program, which is planned to kick off on Wednesday (January 12, 2021), Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“President (Joko Widodo) will announce about the booster vaccine specifically through a press conference,” he said on Monday.

The program for administering the third or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will commence on January 12, 2022, he informed. There will be free vaccines for certain groups as well as paid vaccines, he said.

Elderly citizens and Social Security Health Contribution Assistance Recipients (PBI) will receive free vaccines, the minister said.

As per the eligibility criteria, the booster vaccines will be provided to residents who are aged 18 years and above, have received the second dose at least 6 months six months ago, live in a district or city with at least 70-percent first dose coverage and 60-percent second dose coverage he informed.

The minister said that the President will also clarify the types of vaccines that will be used for the booster vaccine program.

Indonesia is currently ranked fourth globally in terms of vaccinations, he noted.

“There are 169 million Indonesians who have been vaccinated with the first dose, surpassing Brazil’s (vaccination coverage, which is pegged at) 166 million people. We are now behind China at 1.2 billion, India at 882 million, and the United States at 280 million,” Sadikin said.

As of Monday, 170 million doses of the first vaccine and 116 million doses of the second vaccine have been administered to Indonesian citizens, he added.

However, five provinces have not reached the 70-percent vaccination target for the first dose: West Sumatra, West Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua, and Papua.

“There is a stock of 446 million vaccines. (Of the total,) 280 million have been administered, (and) there are still more than 150 million doses which can be provided,” he stated.

Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said that several vaccines have received emergency-use authorization from the National Agency of Drug and Food Control, including Sinovac or Coronavac, Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Zifivax.

Source: Antara News

Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Deputy Minister John Wempi Wetipo visited Jayapura City to take prompt actions in handling the post-flood impacts, such as by deploying heavy equipment to clean the drifted garbage.

“The equipment deployed from our centers in Jayapura City comprise 12 dump trucks, three mini excavators, and two large excavators,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Endra S. Atmawidjaja, noted in a written statement here on Monday.

In addition, he remarked that the police had sent three large excavators and a loader, while the Jayapura District Environment Office had lent two dump trucks.

Atmawidjaja remarked that in terms of the short-term handling efforts, the ministry was currently studying the Siborgonyi, Acai, and Makanoay rivers to conduct normalization.

“River normalization must be conducted, as according to our team’s evaluation, one of the causes of the disaster is river sedimentation and garbage blocking the watershed. Thus, the heavy rain causes the river to overflow,” he remarked.

Furthermore, several roads impacted by floods have been cleaned up to enable safe movement of vehicles.

Meanwhile, with regard to the long-term handling attempts, the expert staff stated that the ministry plans to establish several water conservation and flood control infrastructures.

“One of our proposals is the construction of a retention pond in the Organda Baru area, parapets on the Acay and Siborgonyi rivers, as well as a check dam in the upstream of Makanoay River,” he revealed.

During the visit, the deputy minister was accompanied by the ministry’s Director of Rivers and Beaches, Bob A. Lombogia, as well as Director of Operations and Management of Water Resources, Adenan Rasyid.

Floods hit several sub-districts in Jayapura City and its surroundings, comprising North Jayapura, South Jayapura, Abepura, Heram, and Muara Tami on January 7, 2022.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), in addition to flooding, the heavy rains also caused landslides.

The Papua Provincial Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) had noted that the disaster claimed seven lives and forced over one thousand residents to seek shelter.

Source: Antara News

The Aceh Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBA) has said that the massive flood that swamped three districts of Aceh in December 2021 has been handled and the flood-affected people have returned to their daily lives.

“The flood situation in the area has been controlled, especially in North Aceh, East Aceh, and Aceh Tamiang,” BPBA’s head of emergency and logistics, Fadmi Ridwan, said in Banda Aceh on Monday.

In late December 2021, the districts of North Aceh, East Aceh, and Aceh Tamiang were hit by a flood that submerged a number of public facilities and schools and thousands of housing units. The flood forced thousands of residents to leave the areas.

The situation in the three districts has been brought under control, Ridwan said. Only a few areas with low topography have reported some minor water-logging in the form of puddles as the floodwaters have taken some time to dry completely, he added.

Some water-logging has been reported in Matang Kuli in North Aceh district and Tenggulun in Aceh Tamiang, too, he informed.

“But on the other hand, those areas are based on palm tree productions, (presence of water) which benefits the palm tree farmers,” he highlighted.

Currently, there are no more evacuees seeking refuge away from their homes, he said. During the flood, residents evacuated sporadically and independently, he informed. For instance, in inundated residential areas, evacuees used public facilities such as musallas to stay safe, he said.

“They stayed there for a day to two, but they independently did activities every day to control their homes and livestock. So, they did not evacuate like those of the eruption of Mount Merapi, who occupied one evacuation camp,” he added.

Furthermore, the community has resumed normal activities, he said. School students have returned to their learning sessions, he added. However, the post-flooding cleaning process is still on in some locations, he noted.

“Teaching and learning activities at educational institutions have run as us

Source: Antara News