Jakarta — Employees in Jakarta’s northern districts have been working to excavate untold numbers of graves at a temporary cemetery to bury Covid-19 fatalities.
As Covid-19 cases have risen, hospitals have been swamped with patients, without putting a stop to the country’s health calamity. On Jun 21, Indonesia recorded a daily record with over 55,000 fatalities reported amid a population of nearly 270 million people.
Due to minimal testing and contract-tracing efforts, the statistics are considered to be significantly underestimated. According to specialists, the official number of cases may be merely a tenth of the true amount.
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There is a concern raised about the epidemics growing in size and scaling to become similar to those in India, with new Covid-19 variants and subtypes partly to blame for the increase in the number of cases. Despite an official restriction, thousands of people have moved throughout Indonesia towards the end of Ramadan, increasing the numbers.
As a result, hospital occupancy rates in Jakarta have risen to over 75%, and burials have also allegedly increased. The new Covid-19 variations appear to be impacting the younger population more, as reported by the Indonesian medical association. Hence, many of the patients are now the younger ones.
Furthermore, frequent violations of Covid-19 guidelines, such as mask use, have exacerbated the issue, prompting the WHO to urge tighter movement restrictions.
The Indonesian government announced new restrictions on Monday, yet enforcement could be better. More than 300 vaccinated medical professionals in Central Java were discovered to be Covid-19 positive, and many of them were hospitalised. China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, on which Indonesia depends extensively, is also being questioned.
By early 2022, the nation intends to vaccinate more than 180 million people. To encourage people to be vaccinated, the government is contemplating offering incentives such as free live chicken to those who get vaccinated.
Divyanshi Singh is an intern at The Independent SG /TISG