November 25, 2021
90% of PeduliLindungi-detected cases in malls + Bali said to have reached herd immunity + Pfizer says Covid shot 100% effective in adolescents + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Thursday, November 25. If you’re not a subscriber, please sign up here to have this newsletter emailed to your inbox every weekday morning, along with a Sunday evening summary of the past week’s Covid-19 and vaccination data. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you!
Please be sure to share The Bali Beat with your friends, family and anyone else in the community by clicking the button below. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow us there @thebalibeat.
*A paid subscription is NOT required to access this newsletter.* If you would like to support our news gathering efforts, please consider making a donation of US$5/month by becoming a contributing subscriber via the link above. If you’d prefer to make a one-time donation — of any amount — please click here.
Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“PeduliLindungi Detects 5,915 Covid-19 Cases, 90% in Malls” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): After being used as a detection tool, the use of PeduliLindungi has been implemented in all public places. The application is considered effective in dealing with the transmission of Covid-19 in the community. As stated by a lecturer at Udayana University who is also a doctor at the Unud Hospital, Dr. Cokorda Agung Wahyu Purnamasidhi, M. Biomed. While in Bali alone as many as 10,736 outlets have implemented their use. "Then as many as 10,964,807, were re-verified by officers. Of these, 7.1 million active users were detected and from the activities carried out, 1.2 million people were not allowed to enter through this application," said Dr. Cok Wahyu on Wednesday. Of those who were allowed to enter by PeduliLindungi, Dr. Wahyu said there were 5,915 who were detected positive for Covid-19. Of these 5,915 Covid-19 positive people, more than 90% were mall visitors.
Context: The story does not specify over what time period this data was collected, and the numbers only relate to places which have the app-scanner installed. See the Health Protocols section below for a story on low bed occupancy rates at Bali’s Covid Referral hospitals.
“Bali Said to Have Achieved Herd Immunity” from Bali Express (Indonesian): Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya said that the province of Bali could be said to have reached Herd Immunity or group immunity. "This is because the achievement of vaccination in Bali has reached 80%, or exceeds the target set to achieve herd immunity, which is 70%," he explained. According to data from the Bali Provincial Health Office, until November 20, the achievement of dose 1 vaccine was 3,436,524 people or 100.92% of the target target of 3,405,130 people. Meanwhile, for the second dose of vaccine, the achievement was 2,999,720 people or 88.09% of the target. Bali has received a total of 7,042,529 vaccines so far: "With details, the Sinovac vaccine is 3,155,138, Astrazeneca vaccine is 3,779,140, Sinopharm is 30,607, Moderna is 77,644," he said. With achievements that have exceeded the target, his party is also ready to provide vaccinations for residents outside Bali who do not have a Bali ID card.
Context: Don’t forget you can keep up to date with Bali’s vaccine roll-out on The Bali Beat’s Sunday evening edition.
“Pfizer Says Covid Shot 100% Effective in Adolescents After Four Months” from Agence France-Presse: Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday their COVID-19 vaccine remained 100% effective in children 12 to 15 years old, four months after the second dose. The companies said that the new data, which involved 2,228 trial participants, will help support their applications for full approval in the US and worldwide. No serious safety concerns were observed in individuals with at least six months of follow-up after the second dose. The vaccine was granted "emergency use authorization" for adolescents by the US in May and the companies plan to soon seek full approval. The vaccine is currently only fully approved in people aged 16 and older. Among the 2,228 participants, there were 30 confirmed symptomatic COVID cases without evidence of prior infection, all in the placebo group. This corresponds to a vaccine efficacy of 100 percent.
Context: The Indonesian government plans to use Sinovac to inoculate those aged 6 to 11 and already uses Sinovac to vaccinate teenagers. Almost 14,000 under-18s have been infected with Covid (Indonesian) since the beginning of the pandemic.
>> Classifieds <<
Investment options are all around us — but if you're only thinking about stocks, you're missing out on a major opportunity. Alternative Assets is about the world of options that don't get talked about as much. Think Sports Cards, Wine, Books, NFTs, Video Games, and Websites. Subscribe Now!
Do you invest in Stocks, Crypto, Real Estate & other asset classes? Logging into multiple accounts & apps just to check performance and balances? You can now manage all of your investment accounts from 1 simple dashboard + unlock more than $2,000 free to invest in Bitcoin, stocks, fine art, startups and more. Sign up for MoneyMade now to activate.
Founded after the 2017 Mount Agung eruptions, Yayasan Team Action Amed works with village leaders to provide aid to those in need. Check out their Instagram and Facebook pages, donate via their GoGetFunding page or PayPal, or visit their website for other options & to learn more
Want to share your message with the most engaged members of the foreigner community in Bali? Click here to learn how to place a classified ad.
Other Headlines
“WSBK Effect Not Felt in North Lombok, Three Gilis Remain Quiet” from Suara Bali (Indonesian): The World Superbike event has ended and the multiplier effect of the event was really felt by the buffer zone. The hosts of Central Lombok, West Lombok and Mataram City reported significant revenue gains from the event. However, the event did not have much impact on tourism in North Lombok Regency. This can be seen from the still minimal number of tourists entering and leaving the three Gili islands based on the records of the Class II Winners Port Management Unit Office. "Since the first time the WSBK has been opened and until now, only one ship has come every day," said Head of the Class II Port Operator Unit, Winning Heru Supriyadi. He said the Eka Jaya Ship with a capacity of 200 people, now only carries 36 people. A hotel worker in Gili Trawangan revealed that after the WSBK darkening in Central Lombok, guests staying at the hotel where he worked did not experience an increase.
Context: This report is in contrast to recent statements by the government that the WSBK event will revitalise the economy of West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesian).
Vaccination Update
“Merah Putih Vaccine Heading Into Pilot Phase; Clinical Trials Soon” from Tempo: Airlangga University Surabaya Rector Mohammad Nasih said that PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia is producing a pilot scale of the Merah Putih Vaccine using vaccine seeds produced by the campus. Pilot scale production, he added, is a limited production vaccine batch specifically used for the three stages of clinical trials as the first clinical trial is slated for December this year on a small group of volunteers. The clinical trials will be permitted to be conducted in parallel with each other once the permit is obtained. This means the more advanced trial can be conducted as the first clinical trial is being finalized. “This will progress and hopefully in January 2022 the third clinical trial can be conducted. We are doing it in parallel but there will be gaps in between,” he said.
Context: Media reports in August 2021 suggested the government was hoping to see Merah Putih in production by mid-2022.
More...
Nation: “Indonesia Receives 4.3 Million Astrazeneca Vaccine Doses” from Antara
Nation: “Hoaxes Still Hampering Covid-19 Vaccinations in Remote Areas” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Bali’s Covid-19 Referral Hospital Bed Occupancy Rates Fall” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): After the Covid-19 case in Bali slowed, the availability of beds was relaxed at several Covid-19 Referral Hospitals. One of them was at the Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar, which yesterday only treated 1 Covid-19 patient who was placed in the Nusa Indah special care room. In addition to Sanglah Hospital, Wangaya Hospital Denpasar also experienced relaxation of bed occupancy after the Covid-19 case in Denpasar City dropped. Similar to Sanglah Hospital and Wangaya Hospital, Udayana University RSPTN also experienced loose beds. Meanwhile, for the Bali Province Covid-19 update data, which was updated by the Bali Province Covid-19 Handling Task Force on Tuesday, 12 people were positive, 13 recovered and no deaths.
More...
Nation: “Health Ministry Sets Aside IDR46.464 Trillion for Health Insurance Aid” from Antara
Klungkung: “Vulnerable Market Area, Rendang Police Routinely Patrol Prokes” from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Bali's Poverty Rate Lowest in Nation, Unemployment Falls Slightly” from Bali Express (Indonesian): Based on data released by Bank Indonesia, Bali's poverty rate is still the lowest, at 4.53%. This was conveyed by the Head of the Bali Province Bank Indonesia Representative Office, Trisno Nugroho on Wednesday. The unemployment rate in 2021 decreased compared to the previous year, this was in line with the PPKM easing policy. Based on data released by Bank Indonesia, in 2020, Bali ranks 18th in the unemployment rate in Indonesia, with a value of 5.63%. Meanwhile, in 2021, Bali occupies the 19th position with a value of 5.37%. In terms of employment, the agricultural sector plays a major role in employment.
Context: In related news, Bank of Indonesia has forecast that Bali will see economic growth between 5.4 and 6.2% in 2022 (Indonesian).
More...
Badung: “Ngurah Rai Airport Performs Operational Energy Efficiency” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Bangli: “Pasar Kidul to Be Moved Due to Frequent Fires” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: “Global Market Influence, Cooking Oil Prices Rise Every Week” from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Education
“Ministry Encourages Random Covid-19 Testing to Prevent School Clusters” from Antara: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is encouraging random COVID-19 testing to prevent the emergence of COVID-19 clusters in schools. "The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is working with the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Handling Task Force to increase random testing in schools," acting head of the public relations and cooperation bureau of the ministry, Anang Ristanto, said on Wednesday. Random testing is being carried out to prevent transmission or the forming of school clusters, he said. In addition, strict monitoring of the implementation of the health protocols in schools is also necessary, he said.
Of Interest
“ITDC Responds to Reports on Mass Dog Deaths Nearby Mandalika Circuit” from Tempo
“Mola Mola Washes Up, Residents Reminded Not to Eat it” from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
“Russian Sentenced to Two Year Jail Term For ATM Skimming” from Kumparan (Indonesian)
The Bali Beat welcomes submissions from any group or venue based on the island! For information on how you can include your event in this list, click here.
How You Can Help Bali
Due to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. If you’d like to support organizations working to help those in need, you can see a list of some here.
*This newsletter is a product of Outlanders. To learn more about our editorial policies, click here. For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.