"Based on the experience in Java, we will replicate the COVID-19 handling for regions outside Java. For example, (via) testing improvement. So, people who are infected by the virus can be handled soon," he told an online press conference streamed on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube channel on Monday.
Once the results of specimen tests are received, cases will be aggressively tracked and treatment will be adequately provided, he said.
The number of beds for COVID-19 patients in health facilities outside Java must also be increased, he advised.
"People infected by the coronavirus have to be placed in a centralized isolation area. We can convert hospital rooms into rooms specialized for COVID-19 patients," he said.
Related news: Peak of COVID-19 cases in Java-Bali has passed: health minister
Some methods will be adapted from Java to other regions, such as the formation of a task force for medical oxygen supply and improvement of supplies of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs to help more patients recover, he added.
Earlier, Sadikin had revealed that the rate of COVID-19 transmission, and bed occupancy rate (BOR) in hospitals on Java island had gradually begun to decline.
However, there has been an increase in cases and BOR in several areas outside Java, he noted.
“The virus transmission and bed occupancy rate, especially in the Jakarta and West Java areas, have decreased significantly. However, we noticed that the same case (decline) does not happen in some regions yet; in fact, there is an increase, especially for areas outside Java," he said.
Indonesia's first COVID-19 case was confirmed in March 2020. According to the national COVID-19 Handling Task Force, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country reached 3,462,800 as of August 2, 2021.
Related news: PPKM evaluation in Java-Bali indicates fluctuating trend: task force
Translator: Indra Arief, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
