Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has said four main reasons have triggered the high number of COVID-19 deaths in the past week.
It has been reported that on 23rd July 2021 1,566 people had died from COVID-19. The previous record for deaths from the virus in Indonesia had been on 22nd July 22, when 1,449 people died.
Luhut, who is also the coordinator of the Java-Bali PPKM, explained this in a coordination meeting for the follow-up intervention measures to reduce the COVID-19 death rate on Saturday 24th July
The minister explained that hospital capacity was full, patients were arriving at the hospital with low oxygen saturation, and patients were also dying because of poor monitoring of those undergoing self-isolation at home. In addition, said Luhut, the results of the field review found that on average, patients who died were suffering from comorbidities or had not received the COVID-19 vaccine.
“After understanding these factors, we must intervene to reduce the death rate quickly,” he said.
Therefore, the government will take a number of intervention steps, namely increasing the ICU capacity of hospitals with central oxygen in areas with high mortality rates and providing centralised and monitored isolation for high-risk patients who are self-isolating.
The health office was also asked to coordinate with the National Armed Forces to obtain access to free drug packages from the president.
At village level, the PPKM Task Forces should be reactivated and carry out close monitoring of every resident who is indicated to have COVID-19 symptoms, confirmed Luhut.
This will then be followed by periodic monitoring of mortality rates with a framework that includes the number of deaths that have been vaccinated, comorbid cases, age classification, availability of access to drugs, oxygen treatment, disease staging and exposure to cytokine storms and location of death.