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Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Directorate General of Higher Education, Paristiyanti Nurwardani. (ANTARA/Indriani/ac)

As many as 1,300 research projects have been carried out on COVID-19 by several universities during the pandemic, said Paristiyanti Nurwardani, secretary, Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture.

“Up until now, there have been 1,300 researches on COVID-19. They are mostly in relation to swab tests, equipment harmonizing, and ventilators,” she said in Jakarta on Monday.

The research projects, she continued, were carried out by a number of universities from both the public and private sectors. The ministry has compiled all this research and fit it into a book.

"Tomorrow, we will carry out a research book review in regard to the innovation results on COVID-19 handling," she explained.

Paristiyanti added that the Directorate General of Higher Education has disbursed Rp405 billion for COVID-19 handling. The funds are meant to be used to pay volunteer students, improve the quality and capacity at teaching hospitals and medical facilities, procure personal protective equipment, reagents, and COVID-19 detection tools along with RCT PCR kits, and develop and modify innovative products for COVID-19 control efforts.

“The budget has been divided into Rp199 billion for central procurement and Rp205 billion for reallocation of funds to state universities,” she explained.

A total of Rp145 billion has been set aside in the central budget for procuring personal protective equipment, PCR tests, and reagents for state universities, while the rest has been allocated for the payment of volunteers for the months of December and January.

The Ministry of Education and Culture, through the Directorate General of Higher Education, has also provided 22 PCR devices for swab tests at a number of teaching hospitals and medical facilities to allow them to examine as many as 11,000 specimens per day.

“We express our deepest appreciation to stakeholders and volunteers who have worked hand in hand in handling COVID-19,” Paristiyanti added. (ANTARA)

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin expressed belief that the commemoration of the 25th National Technology Awakening Day (Hakteknas) 2020 offers the right momentum for Indonesian scientists to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I am optimistic that this would be an answer to the nation's self-reliance in facing existing challenges, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic," Amin stated while delivering a speech at the opening of an event to commemorate the 25th National Technology Awakening Day in Jakarta on Monday.

The vice president affirmed that technology and innovation currently held greater significance and played a more critical role in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amin expressed hope that all people would develop a greater sense of awareness of the importance of innovation and the culture of science and technology in their day-to-day lives.

"New innovations are especially necessary in the fields of health, economy, and education amid the COVID-19 pandemic to better respond to the existing challenges," he remarked.

Researchers, innovators, and the industry must also be heedful of the quality of products they manufacture.

"This is important not only in terms of the users but also for researchers, innovators, and other innovator communities, so that it can serve as a reference in the production of quality products," he emphasized.

In the meantime, Minister of Research and Technology/Head of the Research and Innovation Agency (Menristek/Head of BRIN) Bambang Brodjonegoro affirmed that several studies and innovations were underway for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research and innovations being conducted to handle the COVID-19 crisis comprise the production of ventilators, rapid diagnostic tests, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits, mobile lab Biosafety level 2 (BSL-2), and Red and White vaccines expected to be ready for launch in the near future.

"We, through the Eijkman Institute, continue to develop Red and White vaccines against all strains of the COVID-19 virus. Efforts have been undertaken to produce recombinant protein to manufacture vaccines," he remarked.

National Technology Awakening Day is commemorated on August 10 every year as stipulated in Presidential Decree Number 71 of 1995. The commemoration aims to mark the technological achievements of Indonesians, including the maiden flight of the Gatotkaca N-250 aircraft in 1955 in Bandung, West Java. (ANTARA)

Mount Sinabung in Karo District, North Sumatra Province, again erupted on early Saturday (Aug 8, 2020). (ANTARA/HO)

The Karo district administration in North Sumatra Province has distributed 1,500 face masks to local residents to protect them from the volcanic ash of Mount Sinabung's eruption and novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The face masks were distributed to motorists, drivers, and residents venturing outdoors, Acting Head of the Karo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Natanail Perangin-angin was quoted by ANTARA as saying in Medan, North Sumatra, Sunday.

The Mount Sinabung in Karo District, North Sumatra Province, again erupted on early Saturday producing a 2,000-meter-high ash column, and affecting the local residents in the subdistricts of Teran, Berastagi, Simpang 4, and Merdeka.

"Local residents must wear the face masks to cover their mouths and noses," Perangin-angin said, adding that wearing the face mask has also been mandated in the government's health protocols to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mount Sinabung has repeatedly erupted since 2010. Its sporadic eruptions have resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of people in disaster zones. Currently, this volcano's alert status is at Level III.

Local residents and visitors are also prohibited from venturing within a three-kilometer (km) radial radius of the summit of Mount Sinabung and a sectoral radius of 5 km for the south-east sectors, and 4 km for the east-north sectors. (ANTARA)

Mahfud MD, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. ANTARA/Syaiful Hakim

Indonesian Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD echoed the government’s plans to grant "Bintang Jasa" (Stars of Service) awards to honor medical personnel, who died while conducting duties to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have observed that many doctors also fell victims to the disease while delivering their services. It might be owing to fatigue, stress, and then contracting COVID-19 and (thereafter) died," Mahfud stated during a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Saturday.

The government is heedful of the health workers, who are striving ceaselessly to handle the COVID-19 crisis.

For medical personnel, who died in the line of duty while delivering service to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the government would bestow the Stars and offer compensation worth Rp300 million (some US$20,575) each.

In the first stage, the Stars will be presented to 22 health workers on August 13.

Of the 22 health workers, nine will be granted the Pratama (Primary) Star, while 13 will receive the Nararya (Glorified) Stars.

The would-be recipients of the awards were decided by the Council for Title, Merit, and Mark of Honor.

"It is a symbolic form of the government's respect for those who died. Of course, no one wanted to die for an award or compensation," he stated.

The government's COVID-19 Response Task Force and the Ministry of Health have continued to work intensively to record data on health workers, who died while conducting their duties to handle COVID-19.

The government has, so far, shown concern for health workers dealing with COVID-19 by providing monthly incentives to specialist doctors, general practitioners, and non-medical health workers.

Specialist doctors handling COVID-19 are offered monthly Rp15 million (some US$1,000); general practitioners, Rp10 million monthly; and non-medical health workers, Rp7.5 million per month.

As of August 1, 2020, at least 72 doctors had died of COVID-19 in Indonesia, Halik Malik, a spokesman of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) told Kompas daily.

No less than 72 doctors had died from COVID-19 in Indonesia, the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) spokesperson Halik Malik stated. “Based on information received by IDI, at least 72 doctors are reported to have died from COVID-19 or while being a patient under surveillance [COVID-19 PDP],” Malik notified Kompas.com

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) announced the country's first confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020.

As of Saturday (Aug 8), the tally of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia had reached 123,503, and the death toll touched 5,658.

On Saturday, 2,277 fresh cases were reported in the country within a period of 24 hours. (ANTARA)