Day: February 6, 2022

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has asked older adults aged 60 years above and older adults with comorbidities to stay put at home for two weeks to one month ahead.

He deemed that preventive measure is necessary amid the increasing transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

“I recommend for two weeks to one month ahead, for people I have mentioned earlier, those aged 60 years and above, to stay at home,” he said at a virtual event held to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) on Saturday.

Pandjaitan, who also serves as the Deputy Chair of the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC PEN), said that the number of COVID-19 cases increased.

However, he asked the public to not panic because government data showed that the treatment duration of patients who contracted the new variant was relatively short.

“For those aged 60 years and above, have not been vaccinated and have comorbidities, I advise you to not leave the house,” he said.

According to him, patients who died of COVID-19 are commonly those who have not been fully vaccinated, aged 60 years and above and have comorbidities.

To this end, the minister advised everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

He also reminded the community to not underestimate the Omicron variant even though the symptoms are mild and the treatment duration is short.

“However, do not underestimate the Omicron variant because this virus can also damage your body,” he said.

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 February 4, 2022, the country had recorded a total of 4,446,694 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 4,161,987 recoveries, and 144,453 deaths.

Source: Antara News

Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Fatwa Asrorun Niam Sholeh asked the community to increase vigilance amid the spike of COVID-19 cases in the country.

“In response to the surge of the COVID-19 cases these days, the Indonesian Ulema Council appeals to all Muslim communities to increase vigilance by complying with the health protocols,” he said in a video statement received by ANTARA here on Saturday.

Sholeh asked the community to remain vigilant by complying with the health protocols in order to prevent the number of COVID-19 cases from rising.

He highlighted that health protocols must be implemented in all activities, such as when people are working, shopping or during worship.

He admitted that the ulema council believes that the government is still capable and has the capacity to handle and control the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Therefore, he added that people can carry out religious activities as usual by still implementing strict health protocols.

He affirmed that he would continue to monitor the development of policies imposed by the government, for example, regarding restrictions on social activities.

Monitoring of the policies will continue to be carried out so that worship procedures can be adapted to the government’s policies to curb COVID-19 transmission.

“It is true that there is an increase in COVID-19 cases. However, the policies regarding restrictions on social activities are the domain of the government, and communal religious activities are also inseparable from public policy,” he explained.

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 February 4, 2022, the country had recorded a total of 4,446,694 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 4,161,987 recoveries, and 144,453 deaths.

Source: Antara News

The number of inpatients at Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Kemayoran, Jakarta, declined by 74 on Sunday compared to the previous day, Head of information for Joint Regional Defense Command I Marine Colonel Aris Mudian informed.

“The number of COVID-19 inpatients at towers 4, 5, 6, and 7 is 5,934. Meanwhile, on the previous day the number was 6,008. The number of inpatients declined by 74,” he informed while providing an update for the situation at Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital, Kemayoran, here on Sunday.

During the March 23, 2020 – February 6, 2022 period, the emergency hospital had registered a total of 144,836 inpatients.

Having a total of 8,173 beds, the hospital’s bed occupancy rate (BOR) currently remains over 60 percent.

Thus, the hospital’s BOR is still above the safe limit set by WHO, which is 60 percent occupancy.

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

According to him, the hospital is currently treating as many as 183 COVID-19 patients.

“There are 183 inpatients, comprising 111 men and 72 women,” Mudian said.

He added that the hospital recorded 26 new patients in the 24 hours ended Sunday.

During the April 12, 2020 – February 6, 2022 period, Galang Island’s Special Hospital for Infection had treated a total of 18,567 patients.

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 February 4, 2022, the country had recorded a total of 4,446,694 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 4,161,987 recoveries, and 144,453 deaths.

Source: Antara News

As many as 19 confirmed Omicron cases were detected in Riau Islands Province based on the laboratory test conducted on swab samples of COVID-19 patients, the local COVID-19 task force informed.

The 19 Omicron cases were found among 109 probable Omicron cases, spokesman for the Riau Islands Provincial COVID-19 Task Force Tjetjep Yudiana said on Sunday.

He said 88 of the 109 probable Omicron cases were found in Batam city, three in Bintan district and three in Karimun district, while 15 were found among Indonesian migrant workers.

“We are still awaiting the result of test,” he said.

He said Riau Islands added 37 COVID-19 active cases on Sunday, including 27 in Batam, seven in Tanjungpinang and three in Natuna,. In total, the number of active cases in Riau Islands reached 179 as of Sunday.

The total number of COVID-19 patients in Riau Islands has reached 54,123 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 patients comprised 26,082 in Batam, 10,288 in Tanjungpinang, 5,594 in Bintan, 5,500 in Karimun, 1,846 in Anambas, 2,310 in Lingga and 2,503 in Natuna.

Meanwhile, the number of patients recovering from the infection reached 52,184, comprising 25,124 in Batam, 9,836 in Tanjungpinang, 5,405 in Bintan 5,334 in Karimun, 1,799 in Anambas, 2,225 in Lingga 2.225 and 2,457 in Natuna.

The COVID-19 death toll in Riau Islands reached 1,760, comprising 842 in Batam, 403 in Tanjungpinang, 180 in Bintan 180, 161 in Karimun, 47 in Anambas 85 in , Lingga and 42 in Natuna 42.

During a national webinar on Saturday, spokesperson for the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 vaccination Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that Omicron cases were previously detected in several provinces.

The provinces comprised Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi, she noted.

On the national scale, the number of confirmed Omicron cases recorded between December 15, 2021, and February 4, 2022, stood at 3,914, she said.

Of the total cases, 1,815 were detected in international travelers, while 1,756 cases involved local transmission, she informed.

Source: Antara News

Floods swamped several villages in Pekalongan, Central Java, forcing 105 residents to flee to higher grounds, according to the Pekalongan Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) .

“Rain with moderate intensity had fallen for 8 hours from Friday (4/2) to Saturday night (5/2) triggering flooding that displaced 105 residents,” Head of the Pekalongan BPBD Dimas. Arga Yudha said here on Sunday.

According to him, currently around a hundred houses were flooded, so they took refuge in refugee camps prepared by the Pekalongan City Government, namely the Tirto Village Hall, Tirto Village Alhikmah TPQ, and Alkaromah Mosque.

The flooding submerged some hundred houses and several main roads, such as Wilis, Urip Sumoharjo, Yudha Bhakti, Karya Bhakti, Angkatan 66, Sutan Syahrir, Samanhudi, Kusuma Bangsa, Samudera. Pasai, and Kurinci streets

“Initially the flood waters reached a height of up to 50 centimeters, but on Sunday afternoon (6/2) it starts to recede,” he said.

The incessant rains also caused Bremi River to spill over its bank and swamp Tirto area, including Kampung Baru and Gama Permai Housing.

Floods in Pekalongan also submerged residential areas in Pasirkratonkramat and Padukuhan Kraton .

Indonesia is currently experiencing the peak of rainy season that has already caused flooding in several provinces such as East Java, West Java, West Sumatra, Aceh, and Papua. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has reported that 2,931 disasters displaced 8.26 million people in Indonesia between January 1 and December 19, 2021.

Last year’s disasters claimed 654 lives, rendered 93 people missing, and left 14,105 others injured.

The disasters comprised 1,236 floods, 746 extreme weather incidents, 595 landslides, and 265 forest and plantation fires.

During the first week of January 2022, the agency recorded 68 natural disasters comprising 38 floods, 16 extreme weather events, 12 landslides, 1 forest fire, and 1 tidal wave.

The disasters left 7 people dead, 15 people injured, and 140,620 others affected and displaced.

Source: Antara News