August 5, 2021
11 doctors in Bali have died due to Covid, 65 in isolation + Badung's 635 centralized isolation beds full, more facilities to be added + Indonesia's Covid death toll passes 100,000 + more
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Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*Note: Bali’s numbers were still tracking relatively high yesterday, with 1,359 new cases and 37 deaths. Recoveries were at their highest ever, with 1,075. There have been 155 deaths so far this month alone.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"11 Doctors in Bali Have Died Due to Covid-19, 65 Still in Isolation" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) for the Bali region, Dr. I Gede Putra Suteja, said that up to now there have been 11 doctors on the Island of the Gods who died because they were confirmed positive for Covid-19 and there were 65 others undergoing isolation. "Among the 11 doctors, there were four specialists and seven general practitioners. There were also more men than women who died.” For male doctors, there were nine who died, while there were two female doctors. "Now there are quite a number of friends who are in isolation, the last is 65 people who are in centralized isolation or being treated." He said that of the 65 health workers undergoing isolation, in Denpasar City there are 16, Badung Regency 14, Buleleng 11, Tabanan four, Gianyar two, Bangli one, Jembrana four, Karangasem seven, and Klungkung six. He said that there was also one doctor who was still being treated in ICU. He hopes that his colleagues will recover soon and return to their normal activities.
"635 Full Beds, Badung Will Add Covid Isolation Centers" from Bali Express (Indonesian): In an effort to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 in Badung Regency, the local government will add centralized isolation centers (Isoter). Isoters are considered superior in handling Covid-19 compared to self-isolation. Badung Regent I Nyoman Giri Prasta said, the Badung Regency Government currently has 5 isoters with 635 beds to accommodate all positive Covid-19 patients without symptoms and mild symptoms. He also detailed the 5 isoters, namely Bakung Beach, Wisma Bima I, Wisma Bima II, Hotel Made Bali, and Hotel Bakun Sari. "They are full. We are currently working on adding isoters. We have to find a place with facilities on par with a hotel. The importance of this isoter is to have good facilities, so the facilities obtained are not worse than the patients' own homes," said Giri Prasta. He did not specify the number of additional isoters required or the number of beds to be provided. His party only said that they were currently being sought and there might be additional ones soon.
"Indonesia’s Covid-19 Death Toll Tops 100,000" from The Jakarta Globe: Indonesia reached another sad milestone in the Covid-19 pandemic with the overall death toll exceeding the 100,000 mark on Wednesday, more than a month after restrictions returned to stricken provinces across Java and Bali. The news came two days after the government extended the lockdown by another week, citing success in curbing new infections of the highly contagious Delta variant. However, the number of Covid-19 fatalities has been growing at a pace never seen before mid-July as more people dying from the virus while self-isolating at home. The daily death toll has been topping 1,000 since July 16. The disease has now killed 100,636 people, mostly in the densely populated island of Java. Indonesia is now the 12th country in the world to report more than 100,000 Covid deaths.
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Other Headlines
"Epidemiologist Reveals Causes of PPKM's Failure to Reduce Covid-19 Cases in Bali" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): It's been a month since PPKM has been in effect in Bali. However, cases in Bali have not dropped. Dr. Pande Putu Januraga, a doctor in the field of Public Health (MD-PhD Public Health) who graduated from Flinders University Australia explained that the coverage of the complete dose of the vaccine in Bali is still not sufficient. It is still at 25% of the population. Second, PPKM level 4 has not been optimal in reducing the mobility of citizens, especially from family to family. "It is proven that the family cluster dominates," he said. Although massive gatherings have decreased, small-scale gatherings occur everywhere, especially when people are unemployed. This is the season when people perform traditional ceremonies, PPKM does not make the ceremony and gathering activities decrease much, they are still going." The fourth factor is the use of masks. "Masks are saturated, people wear masks on the street, yes, but when they gather, chat with family and friends, they don't," he said. Dr. Pande Januraga also admitted that the delta variant is indeed much more virulent in terms of transmission.
Context: As of yesterday, 102.76% of Bali’s targeted 70% of the population have received the first dose, while 32.49% have received the second, which is equivalent to 22.31% of the province’s total population of 4,362,000.
Vaccination Update
"Health Ministry Plans Booster Vaccine for Public Next Year" from Kompas (Indonesian): Spokesperson for Covid-19 Vaccination from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Siti Nadia Tarmizi said, as part of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization's (ITAGI) recommendation, a third dose (booster) vaccination for the community is planned to be held after 12 months or next year. This will be done considering the decrease in immunity after six months of the second injection of the Sinovac vaccine. Thus, a vaccine booster for the community needs to be planned. Nadia emphasized that until now, the third dose of vaccine is only given to health workers because they are more at risk of exposure to Covid-19 compared to other community groups.
More...
Nation: "Indonesia Gears Up for 2 Million Covid Vaccine Jabs per Day" from The Jakarta Globe
Nation: "Rohingya Refugee Dies of Covid-19 Amid Lack of Access to Vaccines" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Province: "Bali's Health Department Receives 280,000 Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
Province: "Collaborating with Various Communities, Bali Provincial Government Boosts Second Dose of Vaccination" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "Covid-19 Vaccination Services at Ngurah Rai Airport Temporarily Stopped" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
"Delta Variant More Contagious in Children, Confirms Expert" from Antara: Currently the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads more quickly to children, Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts (IAKMI) Ede Surya Darmawan has said. "The Delta variant sticks more easily. Because of the strong sticking resistance, transmission is faster. This condition is easily contagious, especially in children," he said. Based on recent research, the Delta variant can spread within a minute, when people pass by or talk to each other without wearing a mask, he revealed. Head of the Sub-Sector Tracing for the COVID-19 Task Force (Satgas), Dr. Koesmedi Priharto spoke about the importance of people wearing masks to break the spread of COVID-19. “Our people are still stubborn. They do not believe that the mask can actually save them from COVID-19."
More...
Nation: "Task Force: Delta Variant Accounts for 76% of Cases" from Antara
Nation: "Kominfo Ministry to Further Develop PeduliLindungi Application" from Antara
Nation: "UK Donates Healthcare Equipment to Help Covid Patients in Indonesia" from The Jakarta Globe
Province: "Pregnant Women Again Become Victims of Covid-19 in Bali" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Badung: "Giri Prasta Ensures Tracing Officers Added, Taken from PNS" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Badung: "Nusa Dua Bali Tourism Area Applies PeduliLindungi Application" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "100 Visitors and Traders at Banyuasri Market Take Swab Test, Five Positive" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Udayana Hospital Needs Additional ICU Rooms" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Including a Train in Bali, List of National Strategic Railway Projects" from Kompas (Indonesian): The National Strategic Railway Project has become one of the focuses of infrastructure development in the era of the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration. A number of railway facilities and infrastructure in Indonesia have been built and are being continued as National Strategic Projects or PSN, including those on the current list of 2021 National Strategic Projects. National Strategic Projects are projects and/or programs implemented by the Central Government, Regional Governments, and/or Business Entities that have a strategic nature for growth and equitable development in the context of efforts to create jobs and improve people's welfare. As part of the National Strategic Projects for inner-city trains, there is the Implementation of Rail-Based Mass Transportation in the Badung–Buleleng Region, Bali Province.
More...
Nation: "Govt Reaches Last Leg of Strategic Project Land Acquisition Plan" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Province: "Farmers' Exchange Rates in Bali Improve, But Still Losing" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Two Days Denpasar-Gilimanuk Line Jammed Due to Heavy Equipment Trucks" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "Passengers at Ngurah Rai Airport Drop 81% During PPKM" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "Department of Agriculture Designs Badung Go Tani Application, Helps Access Local Product Marketing" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "PPKM Level 4 in Bali Extended, Market Traders: In 3 Days No Items Sold" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Gianyar Regency Government Has Again Budgeted Rp12 Billion for Decorative Lights" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Dutch Bridge in Gianyar to be Transformed into Tourist Spot" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Maintain Record of Children Losing Parents to Covid-19: House Speaker" from Antara: House Speaker Puan Maharani has called on the government to maintain a record of children, who lost either or both their parents to COVID-19, so that they can be protected and assisted. "To this day, I have not seen any special data on Indonesian children, who lost their parents due to COVID-19. We need that data as a way to provide protection," Maharani said. She deemed the data as necessary, so that the nation can offer protection to these children, such as in the form of compensation, depending on the social conditions of each child. "The government must be responsible for the future of Indonesian children, who became victims of this health crisis," Maharani emphasized. The chairperson of the House of Representatives (DPR) noted that, for the short term, children who became orphans due to COVID-19, should immediately be accompanied to help them to recover from the psychological impact of losing their parents.
"Radian's Mother Helped Create Indonesia's Portable Ventilator. In a Cruel Twist of Fate, She Died From Covid-19 Two Weeks After Her Diagnosis" from ABC News: Of the 600 Indonesian doctors who have died from COVID-19, one woman stands out for her tireless work trying to save as many lives as possible during the pandemic. The ventilator was specifically designed to be affordable and easy to operate. Hundreds of the devices were donated to hospitals in Jakarta and Java, including the Dr Hasan Sadikin Central General Hospital in Dr Ike's hometown of Bandung. Tragically, she died in the same hospital in June, after succumbing to coronavirus as infections began surging across Java and much of Indonesia. Dr Ike caught COVID-19 after the family's two nannies returned to Bandung from their home villages in May, following the Idul Fitri holiday at the end of Ramadan. She died two weeks after her diagnosis. "It all happened so fast," her son said. "Mum didn't have any symptoms at first, so we all just self-quarantined on the second floor. During that time she started showing symptoms, she had a cough. "We didn't want to take any risks, so we took her to hospital." Dr Halimi followed his mother into medicine, and like her, trained as an anaesthetist. "She was not only a mother to me, she was also my mentor."
"Indonesia, US Meet in First Strategic Dialogue Under Biden" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her American counterpart Antony Blinken announced the start of the Strategic Dialogue between Indonesia and the United States, as they sought to revitalize their countries’ strategic partnership that began in 2015. Retno was in Washington, DC, for a three-day trip that saw her become the first top diplomat from Southeast Asia to be received by Blinken since he entered office, amid increasingly fierce competition between the US and China. Indonesia is the largest country and economy in the 10-member ASEAN, a bloc Washington sees as key to its efforts to stand up to China's growing influence in Asia. Retno said that a strong strategic partnership between the two democracies would be an asset for the US as it sought to increase engagement in Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.
Of Interest
"11 Disaster Threats in Karangasem, BPBD Urges Public to Be Alert" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Indonesia Army Chief to Terminate Unscientific ‘Virginity Test’" from Human Rights Watch
"State Universities 'Adopt' Morning Pancasila Readings Per New Ministerial Rule" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Woman Found Dead in Denpasar’s Former Red Light District" from Coconuts Bali
"Human Skull Found at Mada Kimbi, Allegedly Relic of Dompu Sultanate" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
"Selling Exposure: the Value of Social Media Influencers" from The Jakarta Post
"Papuan Church Leaders Filmed Burning Masks in ‘Symbolic Prayer’" from Coconuts Bali
"Indonesia’s Makassar Has a ‘Fight Club’ — and Everyone’s Talking About It" from Coconuts Jakarta
How You Can Help
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis, dozens of individuals and organizations have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to the innumerable families who have suddenly found themselves without any source of income. We've been making an effort to document and raise awareness of these efforts. We will add information on projects in this space as we are able to confirm them. If you'd like to see a list of the efforts that we've featured so far and contribute to them with either time or money, visit our complete list here. You can also see a list of projects that have registered themselves with Bali Solidarity. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.
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