VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia is now ready to test four kinds of drugs, that could be potentially used for treating the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 22 hospitals, as part of the World Health Organization's Solidarity Trial. More than 100 countries are participating in the Solidarity Trial, which involves clinical testing of four antiviral medications, provided by the WHO — remdesivir, lopinavir or ritonavir, a combined compound of lopinavir or ritonavir, and interferon beta 1A, as well as chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. As quoted by Antara, Professor Abdul Kadir, acting head of Research and Development Agency at the Ministry of Health, said in a statement issued on Friday that Indonesia is the sixth country to start the (Solidarity Trial) study, and the ministry hoping to hasten the discovery of drugs to fight COVID-19. Furthermore, the ministry's head of Research Center, Irmansyah, said more hospitals in Indonesia will get involved in the program in the near future//Ant

Indonesia's Central Bank (BI) has forecast that Indonesia's inflation rate, would rise to 0.18 percent, mark-to-market (MTM), in April, 2020 compared to the previous month. It added that would make the year-to-date (ytd) inflation rate 0.94 percent and year-over-year (yoy) inflation rate 2.78 percent. As quoted by Antara News Agency, executive director of Bank Indonesia’s Communication Department, Onny Widjanarko  in a statement  on Friday stated the calculation is based on a price survey conducted by the bank in Week Four of this month. Onions have the biggest contribution to the inflation rate, followed by gold jewelry, oranges, sugar, and mineral water. BI will strengthen coordination with the government and other related authorities to monitor the dynamic rate, which is currently being affected by the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)//Ant

The US Congress has passed a new Covid-19 relief package totalling $484bn, the fourth aid bill to clear Congress in response to the pandemic. The legislation, approved 388-5 by the House of Representatives, tops up a small business aid fund, while funding hospitals and testing. President Donald Trump said he would enact the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday. The US has over 845,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 46,800 deaths. Last month, Washington enacted the largest economic stimulus package in US history, with $2 trillion in coronavirus aid//BBC

The first human trial in Europe of a coronavirus vaccine has begun in Oxford. Two volunteers were injected, the first of more than 800 people recruited for the study. Half will receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and half a control vaccine which protects against meningitis but not coronavirus. As quoted by BBC.com, the design of the trial means volunteers will not know which vaccine they are getting, though doctors will. The vaccine was developed in under three months by a team at Oxford University. Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, led the pre-clinical research. The vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus, known as an adenovirus, from chimpanzees that has been modified so it cannot grow in humans//BBC