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Jakarta (ANTARA) – The ulema have played an important role in raising public awareness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in encouraging the public adoption of the 5M protocols, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has said.

The 5M protocols prescribe wearing masks, washing hands, reducing mobility, staying away from crowds, and maintaining a safe distance.

“I believe that the public listens to the ulema. Ulemas play an important role in raising public awareness. I want to reiterate that the context of ulama and leader is very important in efforts to end the pandemic and protect the community,” Qoumas said while delivering a speech at the 46th anniversary of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in Jakarta on Monday.

The minister then praised the MUI anniversary event, themed ‘Ulema, Leader, and the Community Unite in Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impacts’.

According to him, the handling of the pandemic cannot be undertaken by the government alone, but requires the participation of the entire community.

The MUI, as a guardian of the agenda of Muslim unity, is considered important in efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic, Qoumas said. It can be at the forefront of educating and inviting the public to reduce transmission and death rates, he added.

Meanwhile, the government as the leader has issued various restrictive policies to protect all levels of society, he said and invited scholars to help make every government policy a success.

“Various restrictions have been issued by the government to provide life protection. Vaccination and drug delivery programs continue to be intensified so that Indonesia can immediately accelerate the achievement of herd immunity,” he added.

The Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta was treating 4,245 COVID-19 patients as of Sunday (July 25, 2021), according to the hospital’s spokesperson, Colonel Aris Mudian.

“The patients comprising 2,170 men and 2,075 women are being treated in Tower 4, 5, 6 and 7,” he said in a statement that ANTARA received here on Sunday.

The number of patients decreased from 4,534 after 289 patients were discharged from the hospital, he informed. Overall, the number of recovered patients at Wisma Atlet has reached 115,542, he added.

Based on the same data, 959 patients have been referred to other hospitals by Wisma Atlet and 505 others have succumbed to the coronavirus disease in the period from March 23 to July 25, 2021 8.00 a.m. local time, he said.

During the same period, 121,251 patients have been registered at the Wisma Atlet Hospital, and 117,006 people have been discharged from the hospital, he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia needs 2,500 tons of oxygen per day to meet soaring demand amid an exponential spike in COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“Our daily oxygen requirement stood at 400 tons before the Eid al-Fitr festivities, and now (it) has climbed to 2,500 tons. Meanwhile, our production capacity is 1,700 tons per day,” he informed at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday. Every 1 thousand oxygen concentrators can produce nearly 20 tons of oxygen per day, he added.

“The donation of 17 thousand (oxygen concentrators) has begun to arrive (in Indonesia). We plan to buy 20 thousand (oxygen concentrators) that we will distribute to all hospitals with isolation rooms. Thus, patients in dire need of oxygen can inhale oxygen produced by the oxygen concentrators,” Sadikin said.

He expressed the hope that the arrival of oxygen concentrators would reduce the need for procuring oxygen cylinders in large quantities.

The second strategy to meet the country’s oxygen requirement is utilizing the extra production capacity of domestic oxygen manufacturers, he said.

“It is true, we must use liquid oxygen for hospital ICU rooms since their oxygen requirement every minute is high. To offset the lack of oxygen need, we will utilize the extra capacity of domestic oxygen producers and the extra production capacity of other companies producing oxygen, such as steel nickel and fertilizer producers,” he added. The excess oxygen will be distributed to all provinces across Indonesia, he said.

“Once again, may we distribute the oxygen to all hospitals in the country. We also would like to express gratitude to social organizations and neighboring countries for their oxygen assistance to Indonesia,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) is utilizing Acid Plant (Pazam) 731 under its Material Maintenance Command (Koharmat) to help meet the demand for oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 handling in Bandung City, West Java.

TNI AU’s information service chief, Air Commodore (Marsma TNI) Indan Gilang, said Pazam 731 is producing 60-70 six-meter cubic oxygen cylinders each day. The cylinders are being distributed to 25 hospitals across Bandung City, he added.

“Starting last month, Pazam 731 maintenance unit (Sathar) has produced more oxygen cylinders, according to the plant’s capacity, and disbursed the products to nearby hospitals,” he informed at the facility in Bandung City, West Java on Monday.

“The acid plant has distributed 954 oxygen cylinders to 25 hospitals. The facility is also providing the equipment to any individuals in need,” he said.

People can get the cylinders at Husein Sastranegara Air Base (Lanud) — where the acid plant is located — by bringing their personal identification, he informed.

Besides supplying oxygen cylinders, Pazam 731 is also providing free oxygen refills and vaccinations, he said.

TNI AU has four acid plants across Indonesia – in Bandung, Madiun, Pekanbaru, and Ujung Pandang, Gilang said. The facilities aim to serve the defense force’s operational needs for fighter as well as transport aircraft, he added.

However, due to a significant spike in public’s oxygen demand amid a jump in COVID-19 cases, the air force’s acid facilities are being used to produce oxygen gas and cylinders, he said. The four plants have so far disbursed around 2,500 oxygen cylinders to meet public needs, he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – People who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 have a higher chance of a speedy recovery compared to those who have not been vaccinated once infected with the virus, according to Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology.

“Even though there is a chance to be infected again (post vaccination), but mostly the infection is not so severe and they will recover soon. That is the benefit of vaccines, too,” head of the institute, Amin Soebandrio, told ANTARA here on Monday.

COVID-19 vaccines have been utilized urgently due to their benefits, such as protection from the viral infection, he noted. If antibodies are already formed, an infection can be prevented despite virus exposure, he informed.

However, if someone is still infected post vaccination, the clinical symptoms will not worsen, so vaccinations can prevent morbidity, he noted, adding that if morbidity can be prevented, then mortality can be controlled, too.

“Of course, if morbidity can be prevented or is not so severe, we can also prevent mortality,” he remarked.

People who have been vaccinated would not transmit the virus to others, so the COVID-19 transmission chain can be cut through vaccinations, he pointed out.

With vaccinated people needing a shorter period of recovery, the period of COVID-19 transmission to others is short, too, Soebandrio said.

Hence, it is important to participate in COVID-19 vaccinations to slash the morbidity and mortality rates as well as build herd immunity, he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The bed occupancy rate in health facilities for self-isolating COVID-19 patients in Jakarta has reached 73 percent of the total 11,608 beds, Vice Jakarta Governor Ahmad Riza Patria has said.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate of intensive care unit (ICU) beds at 140 COVID-19 referral hospitals in the capital has touched 89 percent of the total 1,546 beds, he said while reviewing a vaccination drive at the National University in South Jakarta on Monday.

“Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the bed occupancy rate has declined again to only 73 percent now. May it drop further in near future. The occupancy rate of ICU beds also has fallen to 89 percent,” he remarked.

Patria said the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in Jakarta has climbed to 90.5 percent, while the mortality rate has fallen to 1.4 percent as of Sunday (July 25, 2021).

Jakarta residents must stay disciplined in adhering to the health protocols amid the enforcement of public activity restrictions (PPKM) level 4 until August 2, 2021, he added.

“So, if we all stay at home, follow the health protocols (5Ms/washing hands, keeping distance, wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility) and adhere to the enforcement of PPKM level 4 in a disciplined and responsible way, Insya Allah (God willing), we will be able to reduce COVID-19 transmission in Jakarta,” he said.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo on Sunday announced the second extension of level 4 public activity restrictions, made effective from July 26 to August 2, 2021, amid a positive trend in Indonesia’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic.

Apart from extending the level 4 restrictions, the government is making some adjustments in rules related to public activities and mobility, he informed.

In his official statement, broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s official YouTube channel on Sunday, Widodo said cautious measures would be applied when implementing the adjustments.

The extension of the level 4 restrictions on the islands of Java and Bali has been done with due consideration accorded to the aspects of health, economy, and social dynamics of communities, he added.

Due to this consideration, the government has made some adjustments in rules related to the operation of people-based business activities under the strict implementation of health protocols, Widodo said. Those allowed to serve consumers include vendors at traditional markets selling basic necessities, laundry service providers, barbershops, street vendors, and traditional retailers, he added.

Vendors at traditional markets selling non-staple foods have been, for instance, allowed to run their business from morning till 3 p.m. local time by following a maximum 50 percent capacity, he noted.

Meanwhile, traditional retailers, laundry service providers, and those running barbershops, among others, have been allowed to operate their businesses from morning till 9 p.m. local time, he said.

Those running small food stalls and street vendors have been allowed to run their business from morning till 8 p.m. local time, but under strict compliance with health protocols, he added.

Detailed regulatory and technical guidance for local businesses would be made by regional administrations, Widodo informed. Indonesia has been struggling to deal with a drastic surge in COVID-19 cases in the midst of the growing threat posed by the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

To address this alarming situation, the government has been enforcing emergency and level 4 restrictions on the islands of Java and Bali since July 3, 2021.

On July 24, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto also held a virtual meeting with the heads of regional governments to discuss the enforcement of the level 4 restrictions outside Java and Bali.

At the meeting, Hartarto disclosed the government’s assessment that the level 4 public activity restrictions need to be enforced in 45 districts and cities in 21 provinces to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Prior to the government’s announcement on the extension of the level 4 restrictions, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, Luhut B. Pandjaitan, had held a coordination meeting with several governors and district heads to discuss the necessary measures that needed to be taken to reduce soaring deaths in the prior week.

At the meeting, Pandjaitan had disclosed that overwhelmed hospitals, arrival of COVID-19 patients at hospitals with low oxygen saturation, and absence of carers for those conducting self-isolation at home had contributed to the surge in deaths.

The factors responsible for the hike in COVID-19 deaths were revealed by recent field studies, said Pandjaitan, who is also the coordinator for the enforcement of emergency and level 4 restrictions.

Referring to the research findings at the meeting, the minister said that the people succumbing to the coronavirus disease are generally those with comorbidities, or those who are unvaccinated.

“After knowing these factors, we must take immediate intervention measures to reduce the COVID-19 death rates,” he added.

The immediate measures include increasing the ICU bed capacity at hospitals and ensuring the availability of medical oxygen stocks in areas with high COVID-19 death rates, Pandjaitan said. He further highlighted the importance of having centralized self-isolation facilities and carers for high-risk groups of COVID-19 patients conducting self-isolation at home for reducing the death rate.

Regarding the distribution of free medicine packages for self-isolating COVID-19 patients, he requested health offices to keep maintaining good coordination with the Indonesian Military (TNI).

“The key to handling this pandemic is having discipline and synergistic collaboration,” he remarked.

To this end, COVID-19 testing and contact-tracing need to be intensified in a consistent and collaborative manner to break the chain of coronavirus infection, he added.

Since they were imposed on July 3, the emergency and level 4 restrictions have had a positive impact on the Jakarta administration’s efforts to bring the city’s hospitals and daily COVID-19 cases back on track.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan claimed on Monday that the critical condition in the capital city is showing signs of easing, with daily active cases showing a declining trend.

The number of hospitalized and self-isolating COVID-19 patients in Jakarta was recorded at 64 thousand on Sunday, a significant decrease from 113 thousand patients recorded on July 16, 2021, he said.

The positive trend in Jakarta’s fight against COVID-19 in the midst of the growing threat of the more transmissible Delta variant can also be observed from the city’s current positivity rate, he added.

The positivity rate has declined from about 45 percent to 25 percent while the daily counts of bodies of COVID-19 victims buried in cemeteries around the capital city have also decreased from 350 to below 200, he noted.

The present condition at many hospitals has also improved compared to a month ago thanks to the availability of wards and beds at their ICU facilities, he said.

Noting the development, he urged local residents to maintain the positive momentum by consistently complying with the government’s health protocols.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s demand for COVID-19 therapeutic drugs has climbed 12-fold since June 1, 2021 due to an explosion of COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“Since June 1, there has been an extraordinary surge in demand for drugs. The surge is about 12-fold,” he said from the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday.

To cope with the soaring demand for COVID drugs, the Health Ministry has asked the Indonesian Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (GP Farmasi) to increase their production capacity and make preparations for the distribution of the drugs, he informed. As a matter of fact, the association has made preparations for the import of raw materials for the production of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs, Sadikin said.

“Indeed, it took 4-6 weeks to raise domestic production capacity in order to cater to the demand for drugs, which has increased 12-fold,” he added. He said he expects much sought-after COVID-19 therapeutic drugs such as azithromysin, oseltamivir, and favipiravir to enter the market in significant quantities early in August, 2021.

“For example, the stock of azithromysin currently reaches 11.4 million (units) nationwide. Twenty local factories produce this drug. So, actually, their production capacity is sufficient,” he remarked.

“Several domestic producers will soon increase the stock of favipiravir, including Kimia Farma, which can produce 2 million (units) per day. PT Dexa Medica also plans to import 15 million units in August. We will also import 9.2 million units from several countries in August. The domestic plants also plan to produce 1 million units of favipiravir per day in August,” he added.

Source: Antara News