VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 23 - Indonesia on Monday recorded 10,180 new coronavirus infections, 9,918 recoveries, and 202 deaths over a single day, the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling reported.

With this, the total tally of cases in Indonesia rose to 1,288,833, while total recoveries reached 1,096,994, and the death toll climbed to 34,691 since the first infections emerged in the country in March, 2020.

At present, Indonesia has 157,148 active cases, or patients under treatment and conducting self isolation for COVID-19. Compared to the past week, the figure has risen by 50.

The task force also reported that 81,037 people are suspected to have contracted the virus in the country.

Meanwhile, a total of 46,562 specimens from 43,273 people have been tested in 670 laboratories across the country as of Monday, bringing the cumulative number of examined specimens to 10,436,446 compared with 6,943,791 in March, 2020.

The country's positivity rate, achieved by dividing the cumulative positive result by the total number of people examined, is currently pegged at 18.6 percent.

According to data provided by the task force, West Kalimantan is the only province which did not report any new cases on Monday.

West Java reported the highest number of new cases at 3,812, followed by Jakarta (2,466), Central Java (1,047), East Java (434), and East Kalimantan (404).

Jakarta has so far recorded the highest cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 331,094 and total recoveries at 312,671.

In terms of the death toll, East Java has recorded the highest number of deaths at 8,913. (Antaranews)

Feb. 23 - Governmental spokesperson, Dr Reisa Broto Asmoro, echoed the government's readiness in terms of having taken requisite precautionary measures against the emergence of unexpected serious risks after the COVID-19 vaccination.

"Vaccination is safe. Even if unexpected serious risks occur, the government is ready with precautionary measures to handle the situation," Asmoro stated in a virtual press statement in Jakarta on Monday.

The spokesperson revealed that every health service already entails the presence of a person in charge or a contact person, always at the observation table at every vaccination post.

Moreover, the vaccination card always bears the name and details of the contact person for the health worker.

Furthermore, Asmoro reminded the public to always exercise discipline in adhering to health protocols and supporting the 3T (testing, tracing, treatment) measures after vaccination, as the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended.

"Although we have been vaccinated, stay disciplined in following the 3M measures and supporting 3T. Let us contribute to the success of the vaccination," Asmoro stated.

The Indonesian government had earlier distributed seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the first phase of vaccination of the elderly in the country that will commence next week.

Almost 70 percent of the seven million doses of the vaccine will be delivered to Java and Bali that recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Health Ministry's spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, remarked.

The vaccination program will commence in five municipalities in Jakarta and capitals of 33 provinces in Indonesia next week.

"In addition to all municipalities in Jakarta, the vaccine will be administered to the elderly in 33 provincial capital cities, such as Bandung in West Java, Denpasar in Bali, Medan in North Sumatra, and Makassar in South Sulawesi," she noted.

The cities were accorded priority in the vaccination program due to the limited vaccine stocks while the COVID-19 caseload in each of the provincial capitals is still high.

Vaccination of the elderly against coronavirus is one of the strategic programs in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head of the COVID-19 Task Force, Doni Monardo, remarked recently that the elderly are a group vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 after the group of healthcare workers.

The Food and Drug Control Administration (BPOM) has issued the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine, Coronavac, for the group of people aged 60 years and above in Indonesia.

The BPOM had issued the permit on February 5, with two doses of each injection, and each dose administered at an interval of 28 days.  (Antaranews)

Feb. 23 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) believes that Indonesia is lucky as since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it had moved to obtain a commitment for vaccine supply from producing nations.

Since it had received vaccines early, Indonesia was the first country in Southeast Asia to conduct vaccination against COVID-19 that commenced on January 13, 2021, Jokowi remarked during a virtual international conference on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday.

“Indonesia is one of the lucky countries. We are lucky. Since the start of the pandemic, we have been moving to secure access and commitment to vaccine supply for our country, Indonesia. Our vaccine diplomacy has been running since the beginning of the pandemic,” the head of state remarked.

The COVID-19 vaccination program in still underway in Indonesia and projected to be completed by the end of 2021.

"This is indeed a huge challenge, but we will do our best to achieve this target," he emphasized.

The vaccines offer a new ray of hope for the world. Hence, all countries in the world are racing to obtain the vaccine. However, it must be borne in mind that equal access to vaccines for all countries is crucial.

"We have to strengthen our cooperation internally in respective countries and also our cooperation with other countries in the world. The spirit of cooperation should be emphasized because no one is safe until everyone is safe,” he affirmed.

However, the head of state also cautioned people against harboring a false notion that the presence of vaccines would mean that the problem will be solved swiftly.

The global community should stay disciplined in applying the 3Ms health protocols: wear face mask, keep your distance, and wash your hands.

The president also promised that the government will continue to improve 3T -- testing, tracing, and treatment -- to curb the number of COVID-19 cases.

"We have to stay disciplined in strictly implementing the health protocols," Jokowi stated.  (Antaranews)

Feb. 23 - China on Monday rejected “slanderous attacks” about conditions for Muslim Uighurs living in Xinjiang, as European powers and Turkey voiced concerns and called for U.N. access to the remote western region.

Activists and U.N. rights experts have said that at least 1 million Muslims are detained in camps in Xinjiang. China denies abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.N. Human Rights Council that it was taking counter-terrorism measures in accordance with the law and that Xinjiang enjoyed “social stability and sound development” after four years without any “terrorist case”.

There were 24,000 mosques in Xinjiang, where people of all ethnic groups also enjoyed labour rights, he said.

“These basic facts show that there has never been so-called genocide, forced labour, or religious oppression in Xinjiang,” Wang said. “Such inflammatory accusations are fabricated out of ignorance and prejudice, they are simply malicious and politically driven hype and couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The Biden administration has endorsed a last-minute determination by the Trump administration that China has committed genocide in Xinjiang and has said the United States must be prepared to impose costs on China.

Earlier, British foreign secretary Dominic Raab denounced torture, forced labour and sterilisations that he said were taking place against Uighurs on an “industrial scale” in Xinjiang.

Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas said that “the arbitrary detention of ethnic minorities like the Uighurs in Xinjiang or China’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong” required attention.

Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, said it expected transparency from China on the issue and called for protecting the rights of Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang.

Wang invited U.N. scrutiny but gave no timetable.

“The door to Xinjiang is always open. People from many countries who have visited Xinjiang have learned the facts and the truth on the ground. China also welcomes the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Xinjiang,” he said, referring to U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet, whose office has been negotiating terms of access to the country. (Reuters)