"The condition of several of our healthcare workers that had contracted COVID-19 has started to improve, and others are still isolating themselves at home," Head of the Sikka District Health Office Petrus Herlemus noted in a statement here on Thursday.
Healthcare workers face a high risk of contracting COVID-19, as they have to interact with several patients on a daily basis, according to Herlemus.
On the other hand, Herlemus pointed out that this condition also proves that health workers are striving to protect the community despite the risks they face.
Despite the fact that several healthcare workers were exposed to COVID-19, health services to the community in Sikka continued to run smoothly.
Herlemus admitted that with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Sikka, health workers were reeling from exhaustion.
Hence, the local health office has to take precautionary steps, such as by suggesting the recruitment of additional volunteers, to ensure unhindered health services to the community.
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The number of COVID-19 cases in Sikka District has reached two thousand since the pandemic was announced for the first time by the central government on March 2, 2020.
The number of active cases as of Tuesday (July 13) had reached 900, while over 800 asymptomatic COVID-19 sufferers were undergoing self-quarantine in the district.
"We treat patients with severe conditions at hospitals, while those with mild conditions are treated in centralized isolation rooms," he noted.
The Indonesian government has implemented a nationwide vaccination program mostly for administering the CoronaVac vaccine bought from China's Sinovac since January 13, 2021, with healthcare workers and public service officers being the priority targets.
However, quite a few Indonesian healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19 amid the ongoing second wave of COVID-19.
Hence, the government is planning to give a third shot using the Moderna vaccine, donated by the US government, to some 1.47 million healthcare workers to better protect the front liners in the battle against COVID-19.
Related news: IDI prepares to deploy more healthcare workers amid COVID spike
Translator: Aloysius L, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
