It is important to realize that we cannot fight this pandemic alone, but we should do this together.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin received one thousand oxygen cylinders and one million vaccine doses from e-commerce platform Shopee as COVID-19 assistance.

The donation is meant to help the country meet the high demand for medical oxygen due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the minister said.

“It is important to realize that we cannot fight this pandemic alone, but we should do this together. It is impossible that we exclusively save certain groups, parts, or organizations of our own country, but we need to inclusively work hand-in-hand with all global communities to tackle this pandemic,” Sadikin remarked while receiving the oxygen cylinders and vaccines here on Monday.

The Health Ministry will distribute the oxygen cylinders, received at its crisis center on July 10, 2021, to regions with the highest COVID-19 cases, he informed. The cylinders will be distributed on a need basis to each region, he added.

The oxygen cylinder distribution is expected to cover all regions of Indonesia, especially people who currently need oxygen to recover from COVID-19 infection, Sadikin said.

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“Seven provinces in Java and Bali are the priority. If we set narrower targets, the oxygen should be distributed to regions in Yogyakarta and Central Java. Why? Because some of the biggest oxygen factories in Java Island are located in West Java and East Java, and Central Java lacks distribution and logistics (networks) to meet its oxygen needs,” he revealed.

The government cannot work alone to tackle the pandemic, he said adding, COVID-19 handling requires many stakeholders working hand-in-hand to stem the case growth rate and expedite the patient recovery process.

“It is not possible to make specific programs for our country, but we need to build a mutual movement to utilize all social capital that all human beings possess to handle this pandemic,” he said.

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Translator: Maria Cicilia/ Juwita Trisna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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