Day: December 2, 2022

The XBB and BQ.1 sub-variants of Omicron are now the dominant COVID-19 variants in Indonesia, the Ministry of Health has said.

“If previously, BA.5 was the most dominant one in Indonesia, it has shifted,” spokesperson for the ministry Mohammad Syahril informed at a media briefing that was followed online on Friday.

According to him, the shift in the dominant variant of COVID-19 started from October 10, 2022, until the end of November.

The ministry data showed that currently, XBB and BQ.1 account for 90 percent of COVID-19 cases, and BA.5 the remaining 10 percent.

Syahril said that because the two variants have the potential to infect people faster, the community must stay alert, especially in welcoming the Christmas and New Year holidays.

He appealed to all parties to promptly complete their COVID-19 vaccinations to improve the level of antibodies against the virus. Based on the ministry’s records, in the period from October 4 to November 21, the number of patients with moderate, severe, and critical symptoms reached 17,442.

Of the number, 39 percent had not been vaccinated, 7 percent had only received the first dose, 25 percent had taken the second dose, and 29 percent had obtained the booster dose.

During the same period, the number of fatalities reached 2,449. Forty-eight percent of the people who died of COVID-19 had not been vaccinated at all, while 8 percent had received the first dose, 26 percent had taken the second dose, and 18 percent had obtained the booster dose.

He added that 40–50 percent of COVID-19 patients who died in hospitals were not fully vaccinated.

The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 2, the nation has recorded 6,674,000 COVID-19 cases, 6,458,238 recoveries, and 159,921 deaths.

 

Source: Antara News

The Ministry of Health will add cardiac catheterization laboratories (cath labs) in 14 district and city hospitals in the country at the end of 2023.

“Currently, out of 267 district and city hospitals, there are still only a few that have cath labs: as many as 41 hospitals,” head of the Supporting Program for National Cardiovascular Referral Hospital, Hananto Andriantoro said at a press conference held at Dr. Johanes Leimena Ambon Hospital, which was followed online on Friday.

According to him, the government has prepared a Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for 2023 for the cath labs. Therefore, in 2024, the number of cath labs will rise from 41 to 55 units.

Andriantoro, who is also a cardiologist at Harapan Kita Heart Hospital, said that the price of one cath lab unit is around Rp18 billion.

He noted that there are several obstacles to efforts to meet the need for cath labs in all regions, which range from building requirements to human resources.

He pointed out that the majority of hospitals have not met the building requirements for setting up cath labs, such as those related to building dimensions, the distance between the cath lab and the emergency room, and the distance between the emergency room and the cardiovascular intensive care room.

“Many hospitals in Indonesia that we visited and observed, we also got information via Zoom, have not met the criteria for buildings,” he said.

He affirmed that his party will support the hospital facility management system to ensure the maintenance of the cath labs.

The cardiologist said that one other problem that hospitals are facing is unstable electricity supply. “We are working with regional governments so that hospitals that receive cath labs can have their own electricity substations,” he informed.

In addition, the availability of human resources who have attended training, namely six months for nurses and one year for cardiologists, needs to be ensured.

 

Source: Antara News

The land selected for relocating the victims of the earthquake in Cianjur district, West Java, is in a safe zone and not on the fault line epicenter, the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry informed.

The land, which is located in Sirnagalih village, Cilaku sub-district, Cianjur district, will be used to relocate earthquake victims from several villages in Cugenang sub-district.

Director general for housing at the ministry Irwan Suprijanto said that the construction of houses on the 2.4-hectare land will be carried out by the Ministry of PUPR, which has prepared service providers to carry out the work.

“For the relocation land, it has been verified with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) regarding its safety. The relocation site is free from earthquake epicenter fault. The condition of the soil, rocks, and other elements in the Sirnagalih village relocation area is safe for housing construction,” Suprijanto informed in Cianjur district on Friday.

Moreover, he noted that the Cianjur district government has said that the relocation land lies in a residential zone, not a green zone, where the construction of buildings or housing is banned.

His party has also ensured the availability of water, electricity, access, and the possibility of building the housing units in the near future.

“The district head has issued a location determination decree; this is the basis for identifying the location plan that can accommodate 200 housing units and their facilities. We have prepared service providers to carry out rapid construction,” he informed.

Suprijanto said that the first stage of the housing construction, namely land measurement, was carried out two days ago, in accordance with the Government Goods/Services Procurement Policy Institute (LKPP) Head Regulation Number 13 of 2018 related to disaster mitigation, which stipulates that the appointed service provider must carry out the house construction work immediately.

The work will be continued following land clearing, which is expected to be completed on December 3, 2022.

Moreover, the earthquake-resistant housing components have also been prepared at the location with the help of the simple healthy instant house (RISHA) technology.

He informed that 25 units of RISHA have been prepared at the location and are ready to be established.

On November 21, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake rattled Cianjur district, West Java, at 1:21 p.m. local time. It was centered 10 kilometers (km) southwest of the district at a depth of 10 km. It did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as of December 1, the number of people who have died in the quake has reached 329, while the number of injured has been recorded at 595. Of the injured, 59 people have been hospitalized with severe injuries. The disaster has also forced 114,683 people to flee their homes.

 

Source: Antara News