VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Medical workers in protective suits attend to COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit of a designated hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, Feb 6, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/China Daily) - 

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday (Aug 20) it was looking for the greatest scientific minds to advise on investigations into new high-threat pathogens that jump from animals to humans and could spark the next pandemic.

Launching a request for applications, it said that its Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens would also review progress on the next studies into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that emerged in China in late 2019.

"We need to bring in the best minds here. And it needs to be multi-disciplinary," Maria van Kerkhove, head of WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, told Reuters.

The panel, announced by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in July, will be composed of 25 experts expected to meet first virtually in late September, a statement said.

"In the last 20 years we've had many of these pathogens emerge or re-emerge: SARS, MERS, different avian influenzas, Zika, yellow fever and of course SARS-CoV-2," van Kerkhove said.

Van Kerkhove, an American epidemiologist and WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, recalled that it took more than a year to establish that dromedary camels were the intermediary source of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) carried by bats.

The new group would draw up a global framework for studies into animals, humans, food, the environment, biosafety and protocols for lab audits when new pathogens emerge, she said.

"Given the geopolitics of all of this, we want to make sure that we have a very solid technical and scientific framework ... for the next time, because there will be a next time," she said.

A WHO-led team of experts spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese scientists and said in a joint report in March that the SARS-CoV-2 virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal but that further research was needed.

The WHO has urged all countries to work together to investigate the virus origins, but China has publicly rejected plans for more checks on labs and markets in its territory.

Tedros has said that the investigation was hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread there.

Van Kerkhove said that Chinese officials had recently made public statements about pursuing studies.

Critical ones include serology studies testing for antibodies present there in 2019, she said, adding: "I would like to see more studies on the animals sold in the market, tracing back."//CNA

A screenshot of the arrival of Indonesian citizens, who are evacuated from Afghanistan, Jakarta, Saturday (August 21, 2021). (ANTARA/Dewa Ketut Sudiarta Wiguna/RA) - 

An Indonesian Air Force plane, carrying aboard Indonesia's citizens from Afghanistan, landed at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, East Jakarta, at around 3:09 a.m. local time.

"Alhamdulillah (thank god), we have successfully evacuated Indonesian citizens from Afghanistan, and this morning, they have just arrived safely in Jakarta," Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Saturday morning.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, accompanied by the Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, welcomed Indonesian citizens that arrived from Afghanistan.

Marsudi explained that the government had brought back 26 Indonesian citizens, including staff from the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Afghanistan.

Along with the 26 Indonesian citizens, five Filipinos and two Afghans, of which one is an employee at the Indonesian Embassy while the other a spouse of an Indonesian citizen, were also evacuated in the mission.

"In addition to Indonesian citizens, five Filipino citizens are also transported during this Indonesian evacuation mission as requested by their government," the minister confirmed.

Marsudi noted that it was not the first time that assistance was extended to bring foreign nationals on evacuation missions and was a humanitarian obligation that should be conducted.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto stated that the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from Kabul to Jakarta was not easy on account of the numerous on-field problems and dynamics.

"However, everything can be implemented well owing to the cooperation between ministries and institutions, so that this operation can run safely and smoothly," Marsudi remarked.

All evacuated Indonesian citizens and members of the evacuation team immediately underwent health protocols according to the rules for arrivals from abroad.

Earlier, the Indonesian government had planned to evacuate Indonesian citizens from Afghanistan following the deteriorating security situation in the country after the capital Kabul was taken over by Taliban insurgents on Sunday, August 15, 2021//ANT

Screenshot of National Defense Forces (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto during a press conference at the landing of Indonesian Citizens from Afghanistan at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta, August 21, 2021. ANTARA/Genta Tenri Mawangi/rst - 

The operation to evacuate Indonesian citizens (WNI) from Afghanistan was not an easy mission due to the changing and evolving situation on the ground, National Defense Forces (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto stated.

The operation was scheduled to facilitate the departure of WNI from the Hamid Karzai Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan.

However, the evacuation team, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, TNI, and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), managed to return 26 Indonesian citizens back to the country along with two Afghan nationals and five Filipino citizens on early Saturday morning.

"Praise God, we had successfully returned our citizens from Afghanistan," Tjahjanto noted during a press conference after witnessing the landing of an Indonesian Air Force plane carrying aboard dozens of Indonesian citizens from Afghanistan at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport on Saturday.

The TNI commander, standing alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, drew attention to several problems faced by the evacuation team during the operation.

Hence, Tjahjanto expressed gratitude for the support and prayers offered by the parties, so that the operation to evacuate Indonesian citizens was conducted successfully.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all Indonesians for their support and prayers for this mission. This operation can run safely and smoothly owing to the cooperation between ministries and institutions," he remarked.

Tjahjanto later explained that all flight crew members, tasked with repatriating Indonesian citizens, were currently undergoing examinations in a special crew room.

All passengers also immediately followed the health protocol rules as stipulated by the government.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi noted that the Indonesian government had decided to use military aircraft to repatriate dozens of Indonesian citizens in Afghanistan to ensure their security and safety.

The Indonesian Air Force plane departed from the Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport on August 18, 2021, at around 6:00 local time. The plane traversed Jakarta, Aceh, Colombo Sri Lanka, Karachi Pakistan, Islamabad Pakistan, then Hamid Karzai Airport, Kabul, and Afghanistan in order to reach its destination.

Marsudi highlighted the difficulties encountered by the evacuation team in managing air traffic permits and landing permits at the Hamid Karzai Airport, Kabul.

The landing permit was given on August 19, 2021, at 4:10 local time, but the permit was withdrawn by local authorities owing to the unfavorable situation.

Later on, the authorities gave landing permission on August 20, and the Indonesian Air Force plane landed at the Hamid Karzai Airport at 5:17 local time.

The evacuation process was originally planned to last for 30 minutes, but the operation took two hours, Marsudi noted.

The Indonesian Air Force plane also took the same route until it finally arrived at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta on Saturday morning at around 3:30 WIB (Western Indonesian Standard Time)//ANT

Health workers (right) inject Sinovac vaccine to pregnant women at RSIA Tambak, Jakarta, Wednesday (Aug 18, 2021). ANTARA PHOTO/ Fakhri Hermansyah/foc/ak - 

More than 30.75 million Indonesians have received COVID-19 vaccinations or have undergone complete vaccination, according to data from the COVID-19 Task Force, Friday at 12.00 local time. The number of people who had completed the COVID-19 vaccination increased by 384,612 to a total of 30,753,137 people, data from the Task Force received in Jakarta, showed.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have received the first dose of the vaccine, Friday recorded an increase of 458,124 people to a total of 56,504,055 people.

The government plans to vaccinate 208,265,720 million people to realize community immunity against diseases caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 type of the coronavirus.

Currently, the number of Indonesians who have received the first dose of the vaccine is only 27.13 percent of the total target and those who have completed all doses has only reached 14.76 percent of the total target.

The government seeks to accelerate the increase in coverage by providing more service facilities, including providing mobile services, drive-thru lantatur service and a floating service.

Separately, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology continues to encourage customary communities in the country to receive vaccinations.

“We continue to encourage vaccination in customary communities. If in 2020, customary communities had not been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, then in 2021, customary communities will have been affected by the pandemic," Director of Belief and customary communities of the Directorate General of Culture, Sjamsul Hadi, said at a media briefing in Jakarta, Friday.

He added that the ministry is cooperating with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and other ministries to encourage vaccination services for customary communities//ANT