Indonesia Surpasses 2 Million Covid Cases as Daily Number Hits All-Time High
Jakarta. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia passed the 2 million mark on Monday, when the country reported the highest single-day total since the outbreak began.
Indonesia has added 14,536 new cases in the last 24 hours for a total of 2,004,445, including 54,956 deaths, according to Health Ministry data.
Monday’s figure beat the previous daily high of 14,518 cases recorded on January 30, amid concerns over the emerging Delta variant.
First detected in India, the Delta variant or the B.1.617.2 strain is believed to be more transmittable than the original virus that causes Covid-19.
The government has confirmed at least 104 cases of Delta, including 75 in Central Java and 20 in Jakarta.
President Joko Widodo has instructed regional governments to set up more “centralized isolation facilities” using public buildings at neighborhoods to curb the spread of the disease and reduce hospital loads, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
Jakarta is the hardest hit by the outbreak with a total of 479,043 cases or 24 percent of the national tally. The capital has frequently beaten its own record in daily number in recent weeks.
The Jakarta Health Department reported on Monday Covid-19 hospital bed occupancy ratio has reached 90 percent, while only 19 percent of ICU beds were available.
“There are 106 hospitals across Jakarta, including 13 municipally-owned hospitals which are fully designated for Covid-19 patients,” Health Department Head Widyastuti said at City Hall.
The combined capacity was 9,000 isolation beds and 1,000 ICU beds, she said.
More than 60 percent of confirmed cases have been reported in Java, the country’s most crowded island which comprises six provinces: Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java and Yogyakarta.