Image: Governor Koster. Credit: Pemprov Bali
While Covid-19 new cases are still high (but dipped yesterday. Ed) due to the Delta variant, Bali Governor Wayan Koster has ensured the community that the increase in cases can be controlled properly.
Governor Koster stated the numbers clearly in a statement yesterday quoted by NusaBali this morning. The accumulatively number of cases since the beginning of the March 2020 until July 29, 2021 is 73,674 people in Bali. The number of patients recovered is 60,039 people or 81.49 percent, while there are 11,555 active cases right now, or 15.68 percent, below the national figure of around 16.98 percent. There have been 2,080 deaths attributed to Covid-19 in that time.
As of July 28, 2021, Koster said that 2,253 people (21.39 percent) were hospitalised, while in centralized quarantine there were 1,495 people (13.50 percent), and self-isolating at home 7,323 people (66.14 percent).
“It can be seen that the number of people who are self-isolating at home is very high. This has the potential to transmit Covid-19 to family clusters very quickly, which is a characteristic of the transmission of the Delta variant,” explained Governor Koster in the press statement.
Meanwhile, the number of active cases being hospitalized, said Koster, requires adequate health services. “However, this is still be handled well,” said the Governor.
Koster said the number of beds for the treatment of patients is 2,344 beds. Of that number, 1,803 beds have been filled or 78.84 percent. While the number of beds for intensive patient care in the ICU Room is 289 beds spread across 14 Covid-19 referral hospitals. Of that number, 206 beds, or 71.28 percent have been filled.
Currently, said Koster, oxygen needs continue to increase drastically. “However, thanks to the strong support from the central government, the need for oxygen in all hospitals can be met, so there is no high risk for patients,” said Koster.
According to Koster, the Covid-19 vaccination program in Bali has also run relatively smoothly and successfully. Over 3 million people from the target of 70 percent of Bali’s population have had the first injection of vaccination. The number of people who have received the 1st injection has now reached 3,046,886 people. However, people receiving the second injection has only reached 807,838 people (26.96 percent of the total needed).
“This achievement is the highest percentage in Indonesia, thanks again to the strong support from the central government which has already allocated 4.6 million doses of vaccine or 76.7 percent of the 6 million doses of vaccine needed for two injections in Bali. Starting from the end of July 2021, acceleration is being carried out for the second injection,” explained the Governor.
The target, continued Koster, is that by the end of September 2021, the second stage of the vaccination in Bali will be complete. For this reason, said Koster, intensive coordination and communication with the center will be carried out so that Bali can obtain an additional 1.4 million doses of vaccine.
Koster also said that the Bali Provincial Government and Regency / City Governments in Bali are currently starting to implement a centralized quarantine policy, according to the direction from the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandajitan. The implementation of this centralized quarantine is coordinated by Pangdam IX/Udayana in synergy with the Bali Police. “Central quarantine is carried out to avoid transmission of Covid-19 in the family environment and reduce the rate of adding new cases to family clusters,” he said.
Based on data released by Koster, about 40 percent of people affected by Covid-19 had been vaccinated and 60 percent had not been vaccinated. It was also stated that 7 percent of Covid-19 patients who died had been vaccinated and 91 percent had not been vaccinated. According to Koster, this is evidence that vaccination is very effective in reducing the risk of death for patients.
“The data also showed that from the Covid-19 patients who died, 63 percent were due to congenital diseases (comorbidity) and 37 percent had no previous congenital diseases,” he said.
Congenital diseases that cause the death of Covid-19 patients are diabetes mellitus (28.10 percent), hypertension (17.90 percent), kidney failure (17.9 percent), heart disease (11.10 percent), lung disease (9.30 percent), and the rest due to other types of diseases.
To speed up efforts in handling the spread of Covid-19, said Koster, there has been an increase in tracing close contacts and testing of at least 8 close contacts for every new case of Covid-19. This program is coordinated by Pangdam IX/Udayana in synergy with the Bali Police, Bali Provincial Government, Regency/City Governments throughout Bali, health universities, government hospitals, private hospitals, and volunteers. The tracing target achieved by the Bali Provincial Government is around 8,000 to 10,000 people per day.
Koster expressed his gratitude to the Pangdam IX/Udayana, the Bali Police Chief and his staff, regents/mayors throughout Bali, sub-district heads, village heads/lurahs, traditional village councils, religious leaders, universities, business actors, private institutions, and various parties who have participated. actively working together in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and its social and economic impact on the community. However, until now the Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing. “We still have to continue to work together tirelessly to carry out the humanitarian task that has befallen the Balinese people,” said Koster.
Koster said that the government was working hard in handling the Covid-19 pandemic as well as possible. He also asked all components of Balinese society to jointly develop patience and collective awareness, that this is not only the responsibility of the government, but is a shared responsibility with the spirit of mutual cooperation so that the Covid-19 pandemic can be halted.
