Indonesia Covid-19 Mortality Rate Drops; Erick Thohir: Not Good Enough

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir said the case fatality rate caused by Covid-19 in Indonesia has improved from 8.5 percent in April 2020 to around 3 percent in mid-December 2020.

“I think it is good, but not good enough,” said Erick in a webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020.

Indonesia's death rate was still higher when compared to the global rate of 2.22 percent. However, Erick said the country’s recovery rate was better at 82 percent than the global rate at 70.2 percent.

The government, he added, continued to carry out various initiatives to boost the recovery rate and suppress the mortality rate. Among the efforts were vaccination programs up to drug standardization.

“[Covid-19 drugs] Favipiravir and Avigan can now be produced here in Indonesia,” said Erick who is also the executive director of Covid-19 Response and Economic Recovery Committee.

Additionally, the government kept raising the hospital capacity and promoting the health protocols dubbed 3M, namely wearing face masks, washing hands, and maintaining distance. Erick underlined that the public must keep implementing the health protocol despite the government’s plan to conduct immunization.

Previously, Erick Thohir announced that Indonesia had received 1.2 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine. However, the government was still waiting for an emergency use permit by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).

Also Read: Erick Thohir: 1.2mn Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Set for Free Vaccination Program

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