VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

COVID-19 vaccine dose - 

As many as 34,702,821 Indonesians have received their second COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Saturday, according to the COVID-19 Response Task Force.

The number of fully vaccinated Indonesians rose by 581,618 on Saturday compared to the day before, it informed.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine jab increased by 786,703 to reach 61,222,258.

Overall, Indonesia is seeking to vaccinate 208,265,720 citizens to build herd immunity against the coronavirus under the nationwide vaccination drive, which was rolled out on January 13, 2021.

Despite having been vaccinated against the COVID-19, the public should continue to stay disciplined in following health protocols to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, the force said.

The health protocols include wearing masks, washing hands with soap and running water, keeping a physical distance, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility.

Indonesia added 10,050 COVD-19 cases in the 24 hours ending Saturday afternoon, which took the total tally to 4,066,404 since the country reported its first confirmed COVID-19 cases in March 2020.

With 18,594 patients recovering from the coronavirus on Saturday, the number of recoveries increased to 3,707,850.

Meanwhile, 591 patients succumbed to the infection, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 131,372//ANT

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin delivers a speech at the Second National Congress of Alumni Family of the Indonesian Muslim Student Action Unit via videoconferencing from Jakarta on Saturday (August 28, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Asdep KIP Setwapres/pri) - 

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has urged the civitas academica to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to implement the three missions of universities (Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi) to help resolve the nation's problems.

“The COVID-19 pandemic should be seen as an opportunity for all students of UNU (Nahdlatul Ulama University, Surabaya) to implement the three missions of universities in solving the nation’s problems,” he said while joining an online press conference for the UNU’s Studium Generale from this official residence here on Saturday. Academicians— students, lecturers, and researchers -- in the heath sector should take part in activities to bolster COVID-19 handling, he stressed.

“They can get involved in disseminating information on COVID-19 handling, volunteering for health workers, assisting vaccinators, and fund-raising for aiding the COVID-19-affected-community, and partaking in recovering from the pandemic’s impacts at the community level,” he expounded.

COVID-19 handling cannot only be focused on the health sector, but also the religious affairs sector, according to the Vice President.

“The COVID-19 handling, including vaccination and its treatment, relate to soul protection, which is a part of ‘maqasid syariah’ (ultimate objectives of sharia) and it is obligatory,” he pointed out.

Referring to preacher Syekh Nawawi Al Bantani, Amin had said during some events, it is mandatory to take care of oneself and prevent an epidemic.

“Hence, the COVID-19 handling is a religious issue, in accordance with sharia law to protect and maintain oneself,” he remarked//ANT

A visitor walks past a Dubai billboard at the Arabian Travel market exibition in the Gulf emirate, on May 17, 2021 - 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it will resume issuing visas to all fully vaccinated tourists from Monday (Aug 30), a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair.

The move comes amid a drop in COVID-19 cases in the oil-rich Gulf country, after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in months.

The UAE's decision to reopen its doors to tourists from all countries was taken in order "to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth", the official WAM news agency reported on Saturday.

Those eligible would have to be fully inoculated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, which include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

"The decision applies to citizens of all countries, including those arriving from previously banned countries," WAM said.

"Passengers arriving on tourist visas must take a mandatory PCR test at the airport," it added.

The UAE is made up of seven emirates including the capital Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

While life in the country has largely returned to normal amid the coronavirus pandemic, it continues to enforce strict rules on wearing masks and social distancing.

Dubai was last year counting on the six-month Dubai Expo 2020 - delayed a year by the health crisis and now set to open in October - to attract millions of visitors and boost the economy.

Heavily reliant on tourism, the emirate was one of the first destinations to open its doors to travellers, accepting tourists in July last year, just a few months after the pandemic took hold.

Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, has been more cautious, opening up to some visitors only in December.

The UAE as so far recorded more than 715,000 cases of COVID-19, including 2,036 deaths//CNA

People form long queues outside a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Melbourne on Aug 27, 2021. (Photo: AFP/William West) - 

Australia logged a record 1,323 local COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Aug 29) as debate rages on whether the country should start living with the virus in the community, after initially being successful with suppressing coronavirus.

Australia's most populous state New South Wales (NSW), the epicentre of the nation's Delta-fuelled outbreak, reported 1,218 cases as authorities there are set to slightly ease restrictions after nine weeks in lockdown. The lockdown is scheduled to last until the end of September.

NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian vowed to reopen the state once 70 per cent of those 16 and older get vaccinated.

"No matter what the case numbers are doing ... double-dose 70 per cent in NSW means freedom for those who are vaccinated," Berejiklian said.

On Sunday, she said the state has reached the halfway point of achieving the target.

In Victoria, the country's second most populous state which is in its sixth lockdown since the start of the pandemic, there were 92 new infections on Sunday, the highest in nearly a year.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said his state's lockdown, due to end on Thursday, will be extended, but would not say for how long.

"We see far too many cases today for us to seriously consider opening up later on this week," Andrews said.

The Australian Capital Territory, home to the national capital Canberra, had 13 new cases.

Australia has faired much better than most developed nations, posting just over 50,100 COVID-19 related cases and 999 deaths.

After the national government closed international borders early in the pandemic, its six states and two territories have used various combinations of state border closures, lockdowns and strict social distancing measures to combat COVID-19.

But the national government now insists that the COVID-zero strategy, which had been successful in suppressing earlier outbreaks, is unrealistic after the highly contagious Delta variant reached its shores and is harmful to the economy.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been urging states to reopen their borders once a vaccination target of 70 per cent of those 16 and older is reached, but virus-free Queensland and Western Australia states have hinted they may not follow.

Nationally, just 33.7 per cent of those eligible have been fully vaccinated, although in recent weeks Australia has been racing to inoculate its population. At current rates, 80 per cent could be vaccinated by mid-November.

"Learning to live with the virus is our only hope," The Age newspaper cited Australia Treasurer Josh Frydenberg as saying on Sunday. "To delay and deny that fact is not only wrong but incredibly unrealistic."

Victoria supports the federal reopening plan, but the state authorities believe the current outbreak, now at 778 active cases, can be suppressed with a strict lockdown, which involves a nightly curfew for Melbourne, Victoria's capital.

The June quarter economic growth figures due to be released on Wednesday may hint whether Australia would enter its second recession in as many years, as the September quarter to be released later in the year is broadly expected to show a contraction, reflecting the current outbreaks and lockdowns//CNA