Indonesia logs record virus deaths, expands restrictions
Jakarta, Indonesia - Indonesia expanded nationwide restrictions on Wednesday as it reported a record number of coronavirus deaths, while the World Health Organization (WHO) chief warned that the pandemic remains in a ‘ very dangerous phase’.
Many wealthy nations are lifting curbs because of successful vaccination drives, but the need for caution has been illustrated in recent weeks by outbreaks across the Asia-Pacific region.
A sudden surge in cases forced reimposition of punishing restrictions in several countries in the region, as governments try to contain the spread and find ways to accelerate their vaccination programmes.
Indonesia has become the region’s hotspot, with hospitals having to turn away patients, authorities forced to import oxygen supplies and a record 1,040 deaths reported on Wednesday.
The government expanded restrictions across the archipelago following earlier clampdowns on the capital Jakarta and some other areas.
“Cases are also rising in other regions and we need to pay attention to the availability of hospitals,” said senior minister Airlangga Hartarto.
“Facilities in those regions are limited and overwhelmed.”
The new restrictions apply to dozens of cities and extend across the vast nation of nearly 270mn people, which has been hammered by the highly infectious Delta variant that was first detected in India.
Many of the country’s hospitals are buckling under the pressure as a wave of sick patients floods the overwhelmed healthcare system.
This week the government rolled out new virus curbs in the hard-hit capital Jakarta, across Java and on holiday island Bali as it reported Wednesday a record 34,379 new infections and 1,040 deaths - as much as ten times the daily mortality rate less than a month ago.
Southeast Asia’s worst-hit nation could see cases soar to more than 50,000 a day, authorities warned on Tuesday.
Delta-fuelled outbreaks have also led to the imposition of restrictions in Australia, including in its biggest city Sydney where lockdown orders on more than five million residents were on Wednesday extended by at least another week.
“This Delta strain is a game changer, it’s extremely transmissible,” said Gladys Berejiklian, premier of New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital.
Australia has largely kept its outbreaks in check since the pandemic began, but the government is under increasing pressure over the slow rollout of vaccines.
“It’s still scary that the virus is out there,” said Menno De Moel (44) at a vaccination centre in Sydney where he was getting his first shot.
“Hopefully this is going to be the last lockdown, but on the other hand anything that is needed, needs to be done.”
Britain is also facing a new surge in infections.
Mass vaccinations, however, have stopped a resultant surge in hospital admissions or deaths.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the end of most virus restrictions, such as face masks and indoor social distancing, in England. Other UK nations - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are moving more slowly.
‘Obnoxious’ anti-maskers
Despite the progress in some parts of the world, the pandemic remains in a ‘very dangerous phase’, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Tuesday.
“The countries that are now opening up their societies are those that have largely controlled the supply of life-saving personal protective equipment, tests, oxygen, and especially vaccines,” he said.
“Meanwhile, countries without access to sufficient supplies are facing waves of hospitalisations and death.”
The virus is known to have claimed close to four million lives worldwide.