"Seeing a significant increase in cases in the last few days, the government is preparing to face worse conditions, including by converting non-COVID-19 treatment rooms into intensive care rooms for COVID-19, especially in hospitals in Java and Bali with equipment support, such as ventilators, and additional health workers," Dedy Permadi said in a press statement issued on Friday.
The Ministry of Health, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) are seeking to increase the number of isolation sites for COVID-19 patients, he added.
Local governments have also been asked to find other solutions for adding treatment rooms for COVID-19 patients, he informed.
"The Minister of Health will immediately mobilize human resources to meet the needs of health workers. Final year medical students and prospective nurses will be involved to help in this emergency situation," Permadi said.
As of 12 p.m. local time on Friday, Indonesian added 38,124 confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of patients infected with the virus to 2,455,912.
The number of deaths were recorded at 871, while the number of recoveries stood at 28,975.
The recovery rate has been the highest since the start of the pandemic in Indonesia in March, 2020. Active coronavirus cases in the nation have reached 367,733 so far.
According to the Health Ministry, a total of 35,775,567 Indonesians have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of July 9, 2021, an increase of 914,881 compared to the previous day.
Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians who have received the second vaccine dose has reached 14,868,577, up 246,075 from the previous day, as per data released by the ministry here on Friday.
Under the first phase of the national vaccination program, which has been implemented since January 13, 2021, the government is targeting to inoculate 40,349,049 people. The program is prioritizing healthcare workers, public service officers, and the elderly.
Overall, the government is aiming to vaccinate 181.5 million citizens, or 70 percent of the country's population, in an effort to develop herd immunity against COVID-19. (INE)
Related news: Indonesia moves to protect children as COVID-19 cases spike
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Translator: Ade Junida, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Suharto
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