VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin . (July 15, 2021). (Asdep KIP Setwapres) - 

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has appealed to Indonesia's Muslims to perform Idul Adha prayer at home with their families, as there should be no congregational prayer either in the mosques or in the fields.

“Performing a mass prayer is voluntary, but protecting ourselves from the COVID-19 pandemic is obligatory, so obligatory things should be preceded over the voluntary one,” Amin stated in a press release here on Sunday.

The provision on performing Idul Adha prayer at home aims at slashing the COVID-19 transmission case rate during the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM), he expounded.

Amin emphasized that the policy was not meant to restrain the Muslims from praying in mosques, but to protect the public from the COVID-19 threats.

“The enforcement aims to help handle the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting and preventing the public from being infected and becoming victims,” he said.

The provision on Muslims’ worships during Idul Adha is regulated on Religius Affairs Circular No.17 of 2021 pertaining to temporary suspension on mass prayers at places of worship, takbiran (eve of Idul Adha celebrations) night, Idul Adha prayers, and technical guidance on qurban implementation in 1442 Islamic year in the emergency PPKM areas.

The Vice President earlier called on ulemas to call on all people to obey the government’s policy by not causing a crowd during Idul Adha.

“I ask all activities to be aligned with the provision, do not throng, including doing all activities pertaining to Idul Adha at mosque or outside the mosque,” he said.

Millions of Muslims across the globe — including in countries like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Russia and Pakistan — are celebrating Idul Adha or  Eid al-Adha, Islam’s most revered observance, which falls on July 20 this year in Indonesia.

Known as the Feast of Sacrifice or “big Eid,” it is one of the two major religious festivals of Islam. The other, Eid al-Fitr, occurs at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting//ANT

Sivenesia (Smart Innovation Ventilator Indonesia), developed by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Center (P2ET) of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), offers CPAP as well as BiPAP operation modes to help COVID-19 patients breathe comfortably - 

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Center (P2ET) of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has developed a ventilator named Sivenesia (Smart Innovation Ventilator Indonesia) to support the nation's COVID-19 handling efforts.

The Sivenesia ventilator offers both CPAP and BiPAP operation modes, P2ET researcher Eko Joni Pristianto said in a statement received here on Saturday.

"CPAP and BiPAP are categorized as the most effective non-invasive treatments and are the first choices that are most commonly used for patients with respiratory issues," he explained.

The availability of breathing aids, such as ventilators, has become very important in handling critical COVID-19 cases, whose number has continued to rise in every health facility, he pointed out.

In CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) mode, the Sivenesia ventilator will produce one level of positive air pressure at a constant and continuous pace to help keep patients' airways open, Pristianto informed.

Meanwhile, in BiPAP (Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure) mode, the ventilator will produce two levels of positive air pressure -- when the patient breathes in (inhales) and when the patient exhales -- so that the patient can breathe more comfortably, while maintaining the required PEEP (Positive End-Expiratory Pressure), he added.

Ventilators with CPAP and BiPAP modes are usually recommended by doctors for patients suffering from sleep apnea, a condition in which a patient's respiratory system stops for a while during sleep, which can lead to poor sleep quality, he said.

The CPAP or BiPAP are pressure-based ventilator modes that aim to prevent airway obstruction, a symptom experienced by many COVID-19 patients, as well as to train the respiratory muscles before the patient can breathe normally, Pristianto said.

The purpose of using a ventilator is to keep the patient's respiratory tract open, while the basic difference between the CPAP and BiPAP modes lies in the level of breathing comfort, he explained.

In CPAP mode, the Sivenesia ventilator will provide continuous positive pressure air flow through a tube connected to the nose or through the mouth, which means patients may experience discomfort, especially during the exhalation process, he further said.

This problem could be particularly troubling for patients with neuromuscular disease, an extensive group of disorders characterized by motor changes produced by injury or neurological disorders, he added.

Meanwhile, in the BiPAP mode, the ventilator will provide variable pressure when the patient inhales and when the patient exhales so that the patient can breathe more easily, he said.

The Sivenesia has undergone a series of testing stages, including laboratory-scale testing in the initial stage, where testing focuses on technical issues, he informed.

"We have carried out a function test at the Health Facility Security Center (BPFK) of the Indonesian Ministry of Health and have passed the test, where we received certification,” he said.

The function test, which lasted for 21 days non-stop, included a series of trials on performance, system endurance, and electrical safety, he disclosed.

“In the next stage, we will conduct a Sivenesia clinical trial as the next step to obtain a distribution permit as a form of dissemination of our research results," he added//ANT

Director of economic and maritime information and communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kemenkominfo), Septriana Tangkary (top), attends a webinar for MSMEs on 'Brand Building Strategy in the Digital Era'. (ANTARA/HO-Directorate of Economic and Maritime Information and Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics/Uyu) - 

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics has urged micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in East Nusa Tenggara province to utilize new technologies and be more creative in developing products in the current digital era.

“Amid this digital transformation, MSMEs are required to create products that can meet the market demands. Therefore, the utilization of technology has become crucial for MSMEs to improve and expand,” director of economic and maritime information and communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Septriana Tangkary, said in a statement received in Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, on Saturday.

She made the remarks at an online seminar for MSMEs on 'Brand Building Strategy in the Digital Era', which was organized to support the Proud of Indonesian Product Movement (Gernas BBI) in East Nusa Tenggara.

Six million MSMEs have shifted to digital platforms as of June, 2021, surpassing the initial target of 2 million MSMEs, Tangkary added.

Besides Tangkary, founder of “Jagoan Indonesia”, Dias Satria also attended the webinar as a resource person. “Jagoan Indonesia” is a sociopreneurship that aims to help Indonesian MSMEs better compete in the global market, he said.

He advised MSMEs to “be lean, be agile, and be creative” to build their brand.

“Be lean” means to focus on customers’ preferences, meanwhile, to “be agile” is to adapt to the current situation, and “be creative” means to be eager to learn to develop products, he explained.

“We (as MSMEs owners) can engage our customers in the research of our products. We need to find out what they want and keep evaluating their demands,” he added//ANT

A pulmonary specialist Nila Kartika Ratna during a webinar held by the Indonesian Association of Traditional and Herbal Medicine Developers (PDPOTJI) on Saturday (July 17, 2021). ANTARA PHOTO/Livia Kristianti/KT - 

Pulmonary specialist doctor Nila Kartika Ratna called on the need for close contacts of COVID-19 patients to undergo self-isolation despite the antigen swab test results coming negative.

The rationale behind conducting self-isolation in this scenario is that the test results could be inaccurate since the incubation period of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is between five and 14 days of exposure.

Hence, antigen tests will be more effective if the test is conducted on the fifth day after close contact with COVID-19 patients.

"For example, today you are in contact with a COVID-19-positive patient. If you receive a negative antigen test result, it does not mean you are not infected. Think further. It could be that the virus is still in incubation," Ratna explained during a webinar on Saturday.

At the Indonesian Association of Traditional and Herbal Medicine Developers (PDPOTJI) webinar, Ratna highly recommended close contacts of COVID-19 patients to isolate themselves, given the virus' two-week incubation period.

During self-isolation, close contacts should try as much as possible to not crowd or meet their family in order to minimize the potential of COVID-19 transmission, she emphasized.

Citing an example, Ratna noted that after finding out, a young man, who was in close contact with a COVID-19 patient from his workplace, isolated himself for five days and was reported COVID-19 negative in the antigen test.

After knowing about the negative results, the man decided to meet his friends and family. However, on the tenth day, he experienced symptoms, such as fever and nausea. In the end, after retaking the test, he was found positive for COVID-19.

Based on the case example, it is highly recommended for close contacts of COVID-19 patients to conduct self-isolation despite the negative antigen test results.

Ratna suggested that in order to get effective COVID-19 test results, the people should undergo RT-PCR testing to check for the presence of the COVID-19 virus in their bodies.

If the test results are positive, then people are advised to immediately contact the nearest community health center (Puskesmas) or use telemedicine services to get effective COVID-19 treatment//ANT