We express our deepest condolence over her demise. Suhartatik has, in fact, rested at home since a month to follow the Surabaya city government's COVID-19-related policies
Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA) - A nurse of Dr Soewandhie Public Hospital's stroke unit in Surabaya, the capital of East Java Province, passed away on Wednesday, Deputy Coordinator for Public Relation Affairs at Surabaya's COVID-19 Task Force M. Fikser stated.

Clarity is yet to be gained over whether Suhartatik died of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) since the final result of her swab test was not yet available, he told journalists here, Wednesday.

"We express our deepest condolence over her demise. Suhartatik has, in fact, rested at home since a month to follow the Surabaya city government's COVID-19-related policies," he stated.

All paramedics in Surabaya aged between 58 and 60 years or ailing from diseases, such as hypertension and heart disease, or who are pregnant, are allowed to stay at home during the COVID-19 crisis, Fikser noted.

Indonesia has been battling the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over these past three months. The Indonesian government officially announced the country's first two confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 2.

This deadly coronavirus surfaced in Wuhan in the end of December 2019 but owing to China's lack of transparency and goodwill to tell the truth from the start of human-to-human transmissions has resulted in its spread across the world.

The Government of the United States, where several of its citizens have succumbed to the COVID-19 disease, has alleged the Chinese Government of having "intentionally concealed the severity of the coronavirus from the international community", as quoted by CNN on May 4, 2020.

Washington argued that "China is likely cut its exports of medical supplies prior to its WHO (World Health Organization) January notification that COVID-19 is a contagion", according to a Department of Homeland Security report that CNN quoted on May 4.

Indonesia has witnessed several doctors and nurses fighting the coronavirus pandemic passing away from the virus. One of those who passed away is a surgical nursing staff of the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD), only identified as S.

This 49-year-old nurse, who worked for the hospital's surgical team, died while undergoing treatment at the hospital's isolation ward, according to Indonesian Nurses Association (PPNI) Chairman Harif Fadhillah.
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Translator: A Hakim, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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