We (the Health Ministry) hope that the hospital occupancy rate will not be this massive anymore.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The bed occupancy rate (BOR) in Jakarta has started to stabilize after a significant addition of beds at health facilities, Vice Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono has said.

"We (the Health Ministry) hope that the hospital occupancy rate will not be this massive anymore," he said while evaluating the emergency community activities restrictions (PPKM) at an online press conference originating from Jakarta on Saturday night.

While one thousand beds have been added at Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory, another 300 beds have been prepared at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta, he informed.

Another 300-400 beds will be provided in several hospitals across Jakarta, he said. In total, two thousand supplementary beds have been arranged across Jakarta, he added.

Harbuwono said the ministry is also planning to set up field hospitals in Bandung, West Java, as well as Central Java.

Meanwhile, speaking about the supply of oxygen, the vice minister assured that his ministry will maintain oxygen conversion from the industrial to the medical sector. The distribution of oxygen will involve several stakeholders, including local COVID-19 task forces, he added.

Harbuwono also urged hospitals to use the digital platform SIRS so that the demand for oxygen in every hospital can be predicted and distribution can be carried out effectively. The vice minister said he hoped that the system would help prevent any gaps in oxygen supply to hospitals.

Currently, the pandemic infection rate is still high in Jakarta, he noted.

According to the government's official COVID-19 website, the capital city recorded 111,642 active cases as of Saturday (July 17, 2021).

With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continuing to rise even after a week of the imposition of the emergency PPKM and the infection count topping 50 thousand per day, the government is planning to extend the restrictions until the end of July, 2021.

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Translator: Prisca Violleta, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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