Contagion Worsens, Strengthen Health Services

Health workers are starting to become overwhelmed in a number of regions with high cases of Covid-19 transmission. Therefore, the number of health workers and health facilities needs to be increased immediately.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Health workers in protective clothing carry a positive Covid-19 patient at the ER at Dr Kariadi Hospital, Semarang City, Central Java, Tuesday (15/6/2021). The surge in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks has caused a number of health facilities to be overwhelmed with handling patients, causing queues and full treatment rooms.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The surge in Covid-19 cases has led to a higher hospital occupancy rate in a number of regions. This emergency phase has caused health workers to become overwhelmed.

Therefore, the capacity of health facilities must be immediately strengthened through the addition of medical personnel and health facilities. This step must be accompanied by the tightening of mobility restrictions.

The general chairman of the executive board of the Indonesian Doctors Association, Daeng M. Faqih, said health workers in a number of regions where high spikes were occurring had become overwhelmed in treating Covid-19 patients. The reason is that the number of patients being treated at the hospitals has increased to the point where bed occupancy is almost full.

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> Hospitals Overwhelmed, Deaths Rise

> Fully Occupied Hospitals are Real

“If the hospital bed occupancy rate is more than 80 percent, the health workers become overwhelmed. Even a number of hospitals are filled 100 percent," he said in Jakarta, Friday (18/6/2021).

As anticipatory measure, additional health workers from other regions have been deployed to support services in areas with high transmission. A number of hospitals have begun to recruit volunteers. In addition to health workers, the support for drugs, medical devices and bed conversion also needs to be done immediately to deal with the high transmission rate.

"Centralized self-isolation areas must be added. Hospitals are limited to patients with moderate and severe symptoms, while those with mild symptoms are transferred to self-isolation areas," he said.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

A total of 29 residents who were confirmed positive for Covid-19 were prepared to wait for the bus at the Kemayoran District Health Center, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (9/6/2021) to be taken to the Covid-19 Emergency Hospital Wisma Atlet Kemayoran to undergo treatment and self-isolation.

Emergency condition

The Covid-19 Mitigation Task Force as of 18 June 2021 recorded an increase in Covid-19 cases of 12,990 people with 290 deaths. The total active cases are now 130,096 people.

In a number of regions, transmission is increasing. At the Santa Elisabeth General Hospital in Purwokerto in Banyumas regency, Central Java, the emergency room service (IGD) was temporarily closed starting Thursday (17/6) because 17 health workers in the emergency room section were infected with Covid-19.

The Yogyakarta Government is considering regional quarantine in line with the high number of cases and the hospital occupancy rate for Covid-19 patients, which has reached 75 percent. The surge in Covid-19 cases in Bangkalan, East Java, increased with the addition of 100 daily cases and 8 deaths.

Also read:

> COVID-19 Spike Caused by New Variants

> Social Restrictions Need to be Reimposed

Five health profession organizations in Indonesia yesterday announced that the condition of Covid-19 transmission in Indonesia had entered an emergency phase because the spike in cases occurred very quickly. Hospitals are overwhelmed so the risk of death will continue to increase if there are no strict social restrictions.

The five organizations include the Indonesian Association of Pulmonary Doctors (PDPI), the Indonesian Association of Internal Medicine Doctors, the Indonesian Association of Cardiovascular Specialists, and the Association of Anesthesiologists and Intensive Therapists (Perdatin). "Don\'t let the condition in India, namely patients lying outside the hospital, happen in Indonesia," said PDPI chairman Agus Dwi Susanto.

According to the chairman of Perdatin, Syafri Kamsul Arif, in a number of regions patients could not be accommodated in the intensive care unit (ICU) treatment rooms because the service was full.

Chairperson of PDPI’s Infection Working Group Erlina Burhan said anxieties grew after the finding of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant or B.1,617.2 in Indonesia which increases the transmission and aggravates the severity of the disease. "The current increase in cases is very fast," she said.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Residents pass around the Kayu Manis Health Center (puskesmas), Bogor City, West Java, which temporarily stopped operating, Wednesday (9/6). A total of 11 health workers at the Kayu Manis Health Center were confirmed positive for Covid-19, forcing this puskesmas service to be temporarily closed and diverted to the two closest puskesmas,

Tighten the restrictions

The five professional organizations issued recommendations, among others, asking the central government to implement a policy of imposing restrictions on community activities comprehensively and simultaneously, especially on the island of Java. The government is also asked to speed up vaccination according to standards so that all parties are more aware of the new variants that are more easily spread, more easily aggravate symptoms, increase mortality, and can weaken the vaccine.

Former director of infectious diseases of the Southeast Asia Region of World Health Organization (WHO SEARO) Tjandra Yoga Aditama said several things must be done in controlling the pandemic, including tightening the social restrictions, increasing case tracing and examination, and increasing the readiness of health facilities. "Health workers must be guaranteed to work safely," he said.

Also read:

> Mobility Restrictions, Mass Vaccination Called for

> Surge in Cases Unstoppable

The significant increase in positive cases of Covid-19 this week and the uneven injection of vaccines have worried investors in the stock market. Some of them released their shares so that on Friday\'s trading (18/6), the Composite Stock Price Index decreased by almost 2 percent. At the close of trading, the index closed down 1.01 percent to 6,007. The Kompas100 index also fell 1.73 percent.

"From the significant increase in the number of cases, it appears that the government\'s efforts to control the movement of people during Idul Fitri had failed. The impact is bad for the financial market,” said Mirae Asset Sekuritas Indonesia analyst Antoni Kevin.

Rakesh Maheshwari, Group Coordinator of Cyber Law and E-Security, in a written statement clarified that the WHO did not associate the Indian variant with the B.1.617 variant. (TAN/AIK/JOE/BRO/ETA/NCA/ XTI/ DKA/ IKI)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.