It is true COVID-19 cases have shot up recently, so local residents must strictly adhere to the health protocols, spokesperson for Jayapura City's COVID-19 Prevention and Handling Task Force, Dr. Nyoman Antari, said here on Tuesday.
On Sunday (July 11, 2021), the province's RoRt stood at 1.38, meaning one individual can transmit the virus to one or two individuals and cumulatively, their number can reach 9,944, she informed.
Meanwhile, the recovery rate reached 92.2 percent, with 9,166 people recovering from the virus, she said.
So far, 178 people have succumbed to the infection in the province, while 600 others are being treated for COVID-19, she added.
Five sub-districts of Jayapura are currently listed as red zones, or areas with a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, she further disclosed.
On Monday, spokesperson for Papua's COVID-19 task force, Silwanus Sumule, had said several hospitals in Jayapura are bracing for a COVID-19 surge amidst limited availability of beds and isolation wards.
Related news: COVID-19: Partial lockdown enforced in West Papua's Manokwari, Sorong
Related news: Jayapura city hospitals bracing for COVID-19 surge: task force
In anticipation of a potential COVID-19 spike, the Jayapura Public Hospital, Abepura Public Hospital, and Provita Hospital are trying to increase their hospital bed and isolation ward capacity, he said.
The Jayapura Public Hospital has run out of beds for COVID-19 patients as all the 23 beds allocated for them are currently occupied, he informed in a statement that ANTARA received here on Monday.
"The Jayapura Public Hospital is hospitalizing patients with moderate and severe COVID-19," said Sumule, who is also the hospital's deputy director.
If the COVID-19 surge hits Jayapura, new coronavirus patients would have to be treated in the same rooms as non-COVID-19 patients, but the treatment areas would be segregated, he added.
Related news: Widodo wants all athletes vaccinated prior to Papua's PON
Related news: Equal investment access for MSME cooperatives, large investors assured
Translator: Evarukdijati,. Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
