Covid-19 Patients Outside Java and Bali on the Rise, Says Health Official

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Covid-19 vaccination spokesperson for the Indonesian Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, on Wednesday revealed that there are a number of regions in the past week outside of the islands of Bali and Java that saw a growing trend of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus. 

“The trend of inpatients reached 100 thousand per week. What we are seeing is an increase, especially in areas located outside of Java and Bali,” said Tarmizi in a virtual press release on August 4, Antaranews reported.

However, she noted that the bed occupancy ratio (BOR) in hospitals' isolation and emergency facilities had reported significant falls. Provinces reporting BOR levels above 80 percent include West Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Kalimantan, and Gorontalo. Provinces that logged more than 80 percent ICU patients were West Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, West Java, Yogyakarta, Banten, and East Kalimantan.

Tarmizi made it clear that the government continues to monitor people’s mobility through the Google mobility report and will continue to pay close attention to how it would potentially affect the growth of Covid-19 cases.

She said data suggests a number of provinces have shown a rise in public mobility which can potentially spread the virus to a broader area due to the increase in public interaction. The Covid-19 vaccination spokesperson encouraged business owners to strictly limit visitors’ attendance and help the government cut the chain of coronavirus transmission.

Read: Sri Mulyani Predicts 2021 Health Budget Hike to More than Rp300tn

ANTARA