Jakarta (ANTARA) – Gojek and Halodoc, in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Health, launched an innovative telemedicine service called “Check COVID-19” to help deal with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Indonesia.

“The telemedicine solution offered is immensely helpful for the Indonesian health system in screening patients at risk for COVID-19,” Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Health Oscar Primadi noted through an official statement on Sunday.

“In addition, Gojek and Halodoc have access to disseminate information and education on the prevention of COVID-19 to tens of millions of Indonesians,” he revealed.

The telemedicine or online consultation service is projected to help the government to focus on handling COVID-19 patients in the high-risk category or in medium-severe conditions.

“Through this collaboration with Halodoc and the Indonesian Ministry of Health, we not only disseminate various educational content on COVID-19 prevention but also open up access to millions of Indonesians to conduct initial checks for COVID-19,” Gojek Co-CEO Kevin Aluwi stated.

The telemedicine service, Check COVID-19, is supported by over 20 thousand licensed and experienced doctors in the Halodoc ecosystem and is available as a shuffle card in the Gojek application.

Users of the Gojek application can select the shuffle card of Check COVID-19 in the Gojek application view, and they will immediately be directed to the telemedicine service, Check COVID-19, on the Halodoc application.

The individual can then use Check COVID-19 on the Halodoc application to consult on symptoms being experienced and conduct a self-assessment or self-examination related to COVID-19.

In the event of suspected COVID-19 infection, doctors from Halodoc will attempt to treat the user by asking him/her to stay at home, self-isolate, and Gojek will deliver the prescribed medication to the user’s home.

However, if further treatment and action is required, the user will be referred to a referral hospital.

Halodoc CEO Jonathan Sudarta is optimistic that the technology ecosystem would be able to meet the needs of the community as a precautionary measure against the risk of COVID-19, from upstream to downstream.

“Our initial inspection system will help screen people with low, medium, to high risk for COVID-19,” Sudarta noted.

“We have also alerted more doctors, so that the public can receive free consultation at this time from doctors in the COVID-19 category anytime and anywhere,” he added.   

Source: ANTARA News

Some 150 thousand test kits have arrived in the country. The Hercules plane that picked up the test kits yesterday makes a transit stop in Natuna now.  The plane will soon continue its flight to Jakarta.

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government has received 150 thousand rapid test kits from China to diagnose coronavirus or COVID-19 in the country, Achmad Yurianto, the government’s spokesman for the handling of COVID-19, stated.

“Some 150 thousand test kits have arrived in the country. The Hercules plane that picked up the test kits yesterday makes a transit stop in Natuna now. The plane will soon continue its flight to Jakarta,” Yurianto remarked during a press conference held by the COVID-19 Task Force at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Building in Jakarta on Sunday.

The test kits will be used to conduct screening to detect whether the patients test positive or negative for the presence of coronavirus. The test will be conducted by drawing blood samples from patients, and the result will be known in under two minutes.

The test kits will be distributed across Indonesia in accordance with the classification of the local people’s risk of contracting COVID-19 based on the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases, he stated.

Based on the confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 handled at hospitals, Yurianto said his side will track people, who had come in close contact with the patients. The rapid test kit will then be used on the people to screen for the presence of the virus, he noted.

The people, who had come in close contact with the patient, who had tested positive for COVID-19 are among those who are at a risk of contracting the coronavirus infection and must soon undergo a screening test for COVID-19.

In the near future, the Indonesian government will increase the number of rapid test kits to up to one million, he stated.

“In the not too distant future, we will bring them in larger numbers. We have targeted to receive one million rapid test kits to detect people, who are at a risk of contracting the coronavirus infection,” he noted.

If somebody is tested less than seven days before having contracted the coronavirus infection, then the result will come negative. Hence, the test must be repeated a week after the patient contracted the coronavirus infection to check whether he/she tested positive or negative for COVID-19, he explained.

Source: ANTARA News

                Solo, C Java (ANTARA) – The General Elections Commission (KPU) in Surakarta City, Central Java, decided to defer the stages of regional elections to thwart the spread of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as Indonesia is witnessing a rising death toll.

“A decision has been taken to postpone the holding of regional elections since March 22 for a period of time for which an announcement will be made later while waiting for the KPU officials in the provincial and national levels,” Head of the KPU-Surakarta Office Nurul Sutarti stated here on Monday.

The KPU-Surakarta Office’s decision had been stipulated in Letter Number 43/PP.01.2-Kpt/3372/KPU-Kot/IX/2019 containing a guideline of the technical stages, programs, and schedules of the 2020 Surakarta city mayor and deputy mayor elections, she noted.

The stages of the city’s regional elections that have been postponed comprise the swearing-in of polling station working committee members and their working period as well as the verification of requirements for supporting independent candidates, Sutarti expounded.

In addressing the impact of ongoing concerns over this global pandemic of COVID-19 on this year’s regional elections, the House of Representatives (DPR) had earlier urged the KPU and Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to draft standard operating procedures (SOPs).

To this end, the related authorities, tasked with the convening of the regional elections, should not rush to take a decision on whether to cancel or still proceed with it, Chairman of the House’s Commission II Overseeing Home Affairs Ahmad Doli Kurnia emphasized.

“For the time being, every stage of the elections that had been scheduled may be implemented, but all activities, involving mass gatherings, need to be restricted and carried out in shifts,” he emphasized in his recent press statement.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 is expected to end soon and not disrupt the people’s activities, including the scheduled convening of this year’s simultaneous regional elections, he remarked.

Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad had also expressed concerns that at least 514 people in several Indonesian cities infected by COVID-19 might hinder the convening of the 2020 regional elections, scheduled simultaneously in 270 regions.

“The House urges the government to review the convening of this year’s simultaneous regional elections amid our ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak,” Ahmad affirmed.

As of March 22, the government revealed that Indonesia had 514 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while the death toll from this deadly virus had reached 48, and 29 COVID-19 patients had receive discharge from hospitals.

Regional elections were scheduled in 270 regions in Indonesia, comprising nine provinces, 224 districts, and 37 cities on September 23, 2020.

Source: ANTARA News

As you could find at the homepage, there is direct information on the disease of COVID-19 as well as the frequently asked questions,

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Jakarta provincial government, Friday, launched a special online site containing all requisite information pertaining to coronavirus in this region, thereby enabling its citizens to acquire such official information amid fears over the virus outbreak.

“We have launched a microsite of corona.jakarta.go.id that contains coronavirus-related response,” Atika Nur Rahmania, a spokesperson of the Jakarta government, stated at a press briefing.

The site provides necessary information for the people regarding the government’s response to the outbreak, including service on community reports, governor’s instruction, and infographics.

“As you can find on the homepage, there is direct information on the disease of COVID-19 as well as the frequently asked questions,” she stated.

Apart from the launch of this site, the government had also announced that it will directly disseminate information to the public at 15 locations across the region, including at public malls and train stations.

According to the site, last updated on March 5, 2020, at 6 p.m. local time, Jakarta has currently placed some 127 people under observation and 49 patients under supervision.

Source: ANTARA News