Day: January 26, 2022

Indonesia yesterday confirmed 4,878 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise since Sept 12, 2021, amid the spread of the Omicron variant in the archipelago.

With the increase, the country’s tally of infections rose to 4,294,183, the country’s Health Ministry said.

In the past 24 hours, the death toll from COVID-19 in Indonesia rose by 20 to 144,247, while 869 more people recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 4,125,080.

In a statement issued yesterday, the country’s Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, called on the public to stay cautious, instead of panicking over the spread of the Omicron in the country, when the transmission rate of the variant is high.

As the government is accelerating its national vaccination programmes, to curb the spread of the virus, more than 182.02 million people have received their first doses, while over 125.10 million have taken the second doses.

Indonesia started mass COVID-19 vaccinations in Jan last year, after the authorities approved the emergency use of China’s Sinovac vaccine.

Aiming to fully vaccinate 208.26 million people in the country, the government has administered over 305.50 million doses, including the third booster jabs.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

As many as 2,946 COVID-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment at Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Kemayoran, Jakarta, head of information for Joint Regional Defense Command I, Marine Colonel Aris Mudian, has said.

According to a statement received here on Wednesday, the number of inpatients at Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital declined by 11 to 2,946 on Wednesday from 2,957 the previous day.

On January 19, 2022, the number of COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at the emergency hospital was 2,615. Within a week, their number increased by 331, he added.

Meanwhile, between March 23, 2020, and January 26, 2022, the total number of patients referred to Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital reached 136,872, he said.

Of the 136,872 patients, 132,248 patients were declared recovered, while 1,082 patients were referred to other hospitals, he added.

The number of patients who succumbed to COVID-19 at the hospital reached 596 as of Wednesday, he said.

He then provided an update on Galang Island’s Special Hospital for Infection (RSKI), Batam, Riau Islands.

“At the Galang Island Hospital, the number of inpatients increased by 5,” he said.

The number of patients at the hospital increased from 37 patients on Tuesday to 42 patients on Wednesday, he added.

Mudian also provided details on the number of workers and students who have come back from abroad and are currently undergoing isolation at Pademangan Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Jakarta.

Compared with the day before, the number of people undergoing isolation at the hospital fell by 177 on Wednesday, he said.

“Inpatients at Towers 8, 9, and 10 of Wisma Atlet Pademangan Hospital as of Wednesday reached 2,730 people, comprising 1,315 men and 1,415 women,” he informed.

Meanwhile, the number of patients at Towers 1, 2, and 3 of Pasar Rumput COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Jakarta, increased by 40 to reach 2,479 on Wednesday from 2,439 patients on Tuesday, he added.

Source: Antara News

The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia increased significantly within the last few days, Head of State-owned Healthcare and Social Security Agency’s (BPJS Kesehatan’s) Supervisory Board Acmad Yurianto stated.

“Recently, this COVID-19 pandemic could not be considered as not dangerous,” Yurianto noted while delivering his statement during a virtual unveiling event on Zoom on Wednesday.

“Within the last several days, on January 23-25, 2022, there was an extraordinary surge in terms of the number of cases,” he elaborated.

The daily addition of cases on January 22-25, 2022, started from 3,205 patients, 2,925 patients, 2,927 patients, and reached up to 8,878 patients.

This figure should be an eye-opener that the threat of COVID-19 infection lurks among the people, he remarked.

If observed further, of the 1,766 Omicron cases identified domestically, almost half of them were local transmissions, he highlighted.

“This means they do not come from international travel,” he explained.

Yurianto encouraged the public to comply with health protocols set by the government in order to prevent infection.

Everyone should have a strong commitment to upholding health protocols by wearing a mask, avoiding crowding, and washing their hands (3M), he noted.

In addition, travelling, specifically international travel, should be restricted only for important or urgent activities.

It is also important for people to get vaccinated.

“Remember, this virus never went to school. It never picks which one it will infect. Let us hope that this could become the reference for us to comply with the health protocols,” Yurianto remarked.

According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 24, 2022, at least 4,289,305 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the country.

Meanwhile, 4,124,211 people had recovered and 144,227 people had succumbed to the disease.

Source: Antara News

Death penalty for corruptors is the highest manifestation of efforts to eradicate corruption in Indonesia that is akin to an iceberg phenomenon, according to State Attorney General, Sanitiar Burhanuddin.

“Corruption in Indonesia is an iceberg phenomenon, in which thousands of cases have been revealed and thousands of corruptors have been convicted. However, the quality and level of state losses are increasing,” Burhanuddin pointed out.

He delivered the statement during a public lecture, broadcast on the Atma Jaya Indonesian Catholic University’s YouTube channel, as seen here on Wednesday.

Burhanuddin noted that the sentences for corruptors, so far, only had a deterrent effect on the convicts, so that they would not repeat their crimes.

The deterrent effect had yet to reach the general public, he remarked. It was apparent from the surfacing of new corruptors everywhere.

“We need to think about it together. It turns out that the pattern of criminal sanctions imposed on corruptors only has a deterrent effect on the convicts,” he stated.

Thus, he urged both law enforcement officers and legislators to ponder over the kind of deterrent effect that could serve as the most effective warning for the public to prevent them from committing corruption.

One of the methods that could be taken into account was the death penalty that is a type of punishment listed. Essentially, the prosecutor’s office gave a stern warning to everyone, who might commit corruption, to immediately cease those thoughts or intentions.

“We remain committed to eradicating serious crimes of corruption, which must be conducted in extraordinary ways, so that justice can be enforced in a measurable and effective manner, especially in handling corruption cases on a mega scale,” Burhanuddin remarked.

Source: Antara News

Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi has urged all hospitals to take precautionary measures against the third wave or spike in COVID-19 cases forecast to occur in early February of 2022.

“Hospitals, Hajj Dormitory, RSLT (Lapangan Tembak Hospital) and GBT (Gelora Bung Tomo) must be on standby as a precautionary measure against a surge in COVID-19 patients that need hospitalization,” Cahyadi delivered the statement in Surabaya on Wednesday.

The mayor did not want to be overwhelmed by the surge in COVID-19 cases in Surabaya akin to what had transpired in the past, for which he was keen to ensure sufficient stocks of medicine and oxygen at the hospital.

“God willing, there will be no more shortages. Medicines, consumable medical materials, consumable medical devices, and oxygen have been prepared as a precautionary measure against a surge in COVID-19 cases,” he remarked.

However, Cahyadi reminded all residents to not panic and to continue to follow health protocols in dealing with the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Head of the Surabaya City Health Office, Nanik Sukristina, remarked that in general, the symptoms exhibited by Omicron-infected patients were mild in nature.

Should one display symptoms, such as cough and runny nose, and have traveled outside the city to rather risky places, then they must immediately take a swab test, she stated.

“This is an effort to prevent transmission and spread of the Omicron variant,” she remarked.

Sukristina ensured that the recovery rate of the Omicron variant infection was quite high. Thus, she also urged the public to not panic and go about their routine activities while following health protocols in a disciplined manner.

The office head revealed that on average, people infected with the Omicron variant in Surabaya showed mild to no symptoms. However, she reminded that regardless of where the people were, they should remain cautious of the variant.

Source: Antara News

The Health Office of Tangerang City has readied 296 isolation beds for COVID-19 patients at six isolation centers, Head of the Tangerang City Health Office Dr Dini Anggraeni stated.

Anggraeni noted here on Wednesday that the six isolation centers readied to accommodate COVID-19 patients are the 60-bed capacity Jurumudi Baru isolation center; Batusari isolation center, with 60 beds; Sudimara Pinang isolation center, with 54 beds; Panunggangan Barat isolation center, with 44 beds; Manis Jaya isolation center, with 40 beds; and Gebang Raya isolation center, with 28 beds.

Out of the six isolation centers, only the Jurumudi Baru isolation center is being used, while the other five are alerted as a precautionary measure against a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Moreover, the Health Office has readied other isolation places, such as the one owned by the Social Office and at State Junior High School 30 in Benda District.

“These two locations will be the last choice when all isolation centers are full and the community health centers (puskesmas) can no longer accommodate patients,” she remarked.

Meanwhile, 796 beds are available in hospitals spread across several locations.

She affirmed that the health office continues to monitor the occupancy rate of treatment rooms and ICUs on a daily basis.

“The occupancy rate continues to rise every day in line with the increase in (COVID-19) active cases. The health office continues to coordinate as a precautionary measure against a spike in cases,” she remarked.

Apart from isolation facilities, the health office head stated that her side had continued to ready medicines, medical consumables, as well as PCR test equipment to maximize testing and tracing.

The health office also continues to maximize coordination with all hospitals especially regarding medical oxygen availability, she added.

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 26, 2022, at least 4,301,193 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,127,662 people had recovered and 144,254 people had succumbed to the virus. *

Source: Antara News