Hospitals Asked to Ensure Bed Availability for Potential COVID Case Surge

TheIndonesia.id - The Ministry of Health is warning hospitals in the country to prepare 10 to 30 percent of their bed capacity to treat COVID-19 patients as the government braces for potential case surge.

The Ministry’s spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said hospitals are asked to prepare more beds for COVID-19 patients in case another wave happens in Indonesia.

“The Minister of Health has formulated a circular to [order] all hospitals to prepare 10 to 30 percent of bed capacity for [COVID] patients,” Syahril said on Monday, July 11, as reported by Antara.

The Ministry has also prepared some locations for self-isolation, such Wisma Atlet and other locations managed by local governments, as well as medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE) to mitigate the possible spike.

Syahril also asked health offices across regions in Indonesia to more rigorously carry out testing and tracing, so data can be updated in real time, and infected patients can be immediately ordered to self-isolate to prevent further spread.

According to him, Jakarta, Banten, and West Java were the three provinces that had been recording surge in COVID cases, and the situation will be closely monitored.

As of Monday, COVID-19 Task Force reported 1,681 new daily cases, with Jakarta recording the most cases at 812. The province was followed by West Java (306 cases), Banten (249), East Java (98), Bali (74), and Central Java (31).