INDONESIA – The Southeast Asian nation Indonesia, hit the 2 million mark as its hospital occupancy rates soars to over 75percent in Jakarta and other hard-hit areas with increased COVID-19 related deaths being reported.
Official figures as of Monday showed Indonesia had recorded a daily record high of 14,536 cases, taking the total to just over two million with nearly 55,000 deaths, among a population of nearly 270 million.
The infamous milestone comes after the daily recorded rate double in recent weeks with the country’s authority identifying the presence of highly infectious COVID-19 variants including the deadly Delta variant from India.
The new variants are sickening the younger population which makes for more than 50% of the population according to Indonesia Investment, this is contrary to when the pandemic began and mostly affected the older generation.
Due to the slow testing rate in the country, the given figures are believed to be undercounted and some experts have a strong belief that the official figures may total to about 10 percent more of the given data.
The spike in cases is believed to have emanated from the Ramadhan period when millions of people were travelling across the state for celebration ceremonies, despite an official ban on the annual migration.
Widespread rule-breaking on mask-wearing and other health protocols, as well as vaccine skepticism, are among additional factors cited for the worsening situation.
Though the state has been under criticism for implementing weak mitigative measure in response to the pandemic, it is planning to beef up restrictions in Jakarta and other hotspot zones.
The country is also planning to administer the China produced Sinovac jab, that medical professionals are skeptical about, to its population with a target of more than 180 million in the first half of next year.
Currently, 1000 healthcare workers have died in the country with this month reporting 300 cases of vaccinated healthcare workers getting infected with the virus.
The country is ramping up inoculations by expanding the programme to anyone over 18 and eyeing incentives, such as giving away free live chickens to older people willing to get jabbed, in a rural part of West Java in a bid to combat vaccine hesitancy.
