VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Healthcare workers in Mimika district, Papua province mourned the death of a nurse due to COVID-19 on Thursday.

The nurse, Puput Putriani, worked at the Kwamki Public Health Center in Timika, the capital of Mimika district.

Putriani, who was pregnant, contracted COVID-19 at her workplace and was admitted to Mimika Public Hospital on Wednesday, head of the Mimika Health Office, Reynold Ubra, said.

"We all are mourning her passing," he said, adding that all healthcare workers have been fighting to save the lives of COVID-19 patients.

Therefore, people who intentionally create and circulate videos to share their skepticism of COVID-19, despite the fact that many families have lost their loved ones to the disease, are deplorable, he remarked.

Two healthcare workers have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic hit Mimika on March 25, 2020 while the district's infection rate has been recorded at 8,398 as of July 28, 2021, Ubra informed.

At least 117 of the 8,398 COVID-19 patients have died, with the peak of deaths occurring in July this year, he added.

The Mimika COVID-19 Task Force recorded 57 deaths between July 1 and July 28, or equal to 5.5 deaths per day, he pointed out.

On July 21, 2021, Mimika district head Eltinus Omaleng had said that the situation in Mimika had become alarming with COVID-19 deaths recording a sharp spike over a period of two weeks.

As a result, the growth in the number of new cases was significant, the bed occupancy at isolation rooms was almost full, and oxygen supplies were running out, he added.​​​​​​​

Papua's COVID-19 task force recently disclosed that 18 cities and districts across the province have been affected by the recent wave of infections.

Six of the affected areas are located in mountainous regions in the districts of Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Pegunungan Bintang, Paniai, and Puncak Jaya.

The 12 other affected regions comprise Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Merauke, Boven Digul, Asmat, Mappi, Mimika, Biak Numfor, Supiori, Kepulauan Yapen, Nabire, and Keerom. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian government has appealed to the public to not worry about the availability of COVID-19 vaccine stocks, assuring it has secured 440 million doses until the end of 2021.


"Yesterday (July 27, 2021), Indonesia received 21 million doses of Sinovac vaccines in bulk form, which increased the country's COVID-19 vaccine stock to more than 170 million doses in bulk form and finished goods," government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling and behavior change ambassador, Reisa Broto Asmoro, said here on Wednesday.


State-owned pharmaceutical firm Bio Farma has processed a total of 144.7 million vaccines in bulk form into 117 million doses of finished vaccines, she added.


As of Tuesday (July 27, 2021), nearly 64.4 million out of the targeted 208.2 million vaccines have been administered, with at least 45.5 million people, or 21.9 percent of the targeted recipients, receiving their first jab, and 18.9 million receiving their second jab, she informed.


"(For) Creating herd immunity (there) is a long way to go. It is ladies and gentlemen who can shortcut the way. Vaccinate yourself soon. Let us bring families, neighbors, and colleagues to COVID-19 vaccination centers to protect ourselves and our families," she urged.


Asmoro also assured that the government has augmented drug stocks, oxygen supplies, the number of health workers, and beds for COVID-19 patients as a precautionary measure to face a possible wave of COVID-19 cases.


The bed occupancy rate in hospitals has declined, with the number of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients falling to 82 thousand from 92 thousand in the past week, she said. (Antaranews)

Indonesia will require an estimated Rp4,520 trillion to achieve the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 based on the revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Finance Minister Sri Mulyani stated.

"In 2018, we had estimated it at Rp3,641 trillion. It was then updated to increase to Rp4,520 trillion based on the roadmap for NDC. The figure is considerably huge," the minister remarked at the Indonesia Green Summit 2021 held virtually and accessed in Jakarta on Tuesday.

As one of the instruments, the state budget (APBN) has developed budget tagging, wherein a transparent explanation is provided on the percentage of national spending to mitigate the impacts of climate change, which currently stands at 4.1 percent, Mulyani noted.

"Between 2018 and 2020, it had reached Rp102.6 trillion, or 4.3 percent of our total budget. That is only 34 percent of the annual fund requirements," she pointed out.

Mulyani explained that in order to uphold the NDC commitment mandated by the Paris Agreement, the government as well as all corporations and communities, as an entire ecosystem, will have to finance it nationally.

"At the global level, we also strive for it," the minister stated.

Indonesia has remained committed to unconditionally reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent against a 2030 business-as-usual scenario and by up to 41 percent below the 2030 business-as-usual level, subject to international assistance for finance, technology transfer, and capacity building.

"As per the policy, we aim to lower CO2 emissions even up to net zero emission, so we apply the fiscal instrument or tax holiday, tax allowance, and value added tax. We have just issued Government Regulation No. 24 of 2021 that reflects higher luxury sales tax for cars or vehicles that release higher than the permissible level of emissions," Mulyani remarked.

The minister believes these all serve as instruments whose value is not based on the budget but the policy to change incentives. As such, all sides, including corporations and the community, will not only be aware but also willing to adopt the climate commitment in their investment and consumption decisions.

"To that end, of course, we must continue to diversify our various instruments, so that the private sector can partake in it. As I earlier stated, 32 percent of it is directly funded by the state budget, so we will strive to attract more participation of the private sector," she affirmed.

Domestically, the government can provide incentives or blended finance through the government-to-business cooperation (KPBU), Mulyani remarked.

"We give guarantee. We partake in funding the project, so it (the private sector) will look financially viable. We provide incentives to them, so funds for the private sector will flow in," the minister added. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo has urged administrators to optimize the available budget for disposing COVID-19 medical hazardous and toxic (B3) waste, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has said.

"The projected budget for the plan is Rp1.3 trillion. The President has instructed to exercise the budget for incinerators and other related facilities. He has also urged to read all medical waste management instruments and ensure they run well,” the minister informed at an online press conference following a limited meeting on COVID-19 medical B3 waste management with the head of state.

The press conference was broadcast through the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube channel here on Wednesday.

President Widodo has also asked regional governments to help construct waste destroyers, such as incinerators, shredders, and other similar equipment, Bakar said.

He has ordered that any available budget -- General Allocation Fund, Special Allocation Fund, Profit Sharing Fund, or COVID-19 Task Force fund -- be utilized to support the project, she added.

According to data obtained by the ministry, the volume of COVID-19 medical waste generated in the country reached 18,460 tons as of July 27, 2021. The waste originated from medical centers, emergency hospitals, monitored-isolation and self-quarantine facilities, diagnostic test laboratories, as well as vaccination sites, it said.

However, Bakar said the data was incomplete as the association of Indonesian hospitals has reported 383 tons of medical waste being dumped each day.

Indeed, the national waste management facilities have a capacity to process up to 493 tons of waste each day, she said. However, most of the waste is concentrated in Java Island, she noted.

COVID-19 medical B3 waste comprises used alcohol swabs, bandages, face shields, gloves, hazmat suits, infusions, masks, medical suits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), syringe needles, vaccine bottles, as well as RT-PCR and rapid antigen test tools, she informed. (Antaranews)