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Jakarta eyes doubling of virus testing as cases soar

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JAKARTA: Indonesia reported 3,635 new Coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 232,628, the health ministry’s website showed.


The ministry also reported 122 additional deaths from the virus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 9,222, the highest in Southeast Asia.


Meanwhile, the country’s capital Jakarta plans to double its COVID-19 testing capacity in the near future, its governor said on Thursday, as it fights surging infections that saw restrictions re-imposed to slow the spread and help hospitals to cope.


Jakarta alone has seen more than 1,000 new daily cases on average this month, more than double the average in the first half of August, with the tide of infections piling pressure on its under-resourced health sector.


Governor Anies Baswedan said in an interview that the city of 10 million was conducting about 50,000 daily Coronavirus tests and hopes to “at least reach double from where we are today”.


According to the World Health Organization, Jakarta’s weekly testing rate of 5.5-6 people per 1,000 population in the past three weeks was five times the WHO’s minimum benchmark.


Baswedan said the rapid case rise left him no choice but to bring back social restrictions that he eased in June, with limits on commerce, transport and places of worship re-imposed. “We had never experienced this kind of jump,” Baswedan said. “That’s why... we decided to pull a brake.”


He said 13 of Jakarta’s 67 hospitals have been designated as COVID-19 treatment centres. Asked if more would be dedicated to Coronavirus cases, he said, “I don’t hope so.” No one wants to see that,” he added. — Reuters


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