Deaths due to COVID-19 in Indonesia exceeded 1,000 for the first time, intensifying the battle to contain a resurgence of infections that has overwhelmed its medical system.
The nation reported 1,040 more deaths in the past 24 hours, double the number just a week ago, the latest ministry data shows. It registered 34,379 new cases as of Wednesday, also a daily record.
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is preparing a response should daily cases hit 70,000, which would be the worst-case scenario, according to Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, who is overseeing the pandemic response in the country’s most-populated islands of Java and Bali. The government said this week it plans to start importing oxygen to secure supply.
The government has begun enforcing its tightest curbs in Java and Bali as cases surged. Mobility needs to be reduced by 50% to be able to slow the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, which now accounts for 90% of active cases, said Panjaitan.
Several sectors may be dropped from the list of those allowed to operate during the curbs to further reduce people’s mobility, Dedy Permadi, spokesman at the communications ministry, said in a Wednesday briefing.
Central Java province was hardest hit on Wednesday, with 480 people dying of the disease. While Jakarta and neighboring West Java account for the bulk of infections, their fatality rates — at 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively — were lower than Central Java’s 4.4% during the pandemic so far.
The capital and surrounding areas likely have more robust healthcare infrastructure than other provinces, and report higher vaccination rates. Around half of Jakarta’s 10 million population have received at least their first shot, compared with about 10% in Central Java.
Indonesia is considering offering a third vaccination shot to healthcare workers to increase their protection against the deadly virus, and the plan is pending studies by the national vaccination board and drug agency, said Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a spokeswoman for the nation’s COVID-19 task force.
