VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Fujifilm Holdings Corp. announced Wednesday that a phase III clinical trial of the COVID-19 drug candidate, Avigan, could speed up the recovery period for patients who do not show severe illness.

The company is also optimistic that Avigan will receive permission to use from the Japanese government involved 156 patients in Japan.

The test results showed patients who took Avigan recovered after 11.9 days, while patients who did not take the drug recovered after 14.7 days.

Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, a subsidiary of Fujifilm that is holding clinical trials, said in a written release with statistical data shows the results of the trial.

Following that announcement, Fujifilm's stock reportedly rose more than four percent, the highest figure in four months, on the Tokyo stock market.

Former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, had mentioned that Avigan has the potential to cure COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The drug is one of Japan's contributions to tackling the pandemic. The company is trying to get a permit to use Avigan for domestic use in May.

The government asked Fujifilm to triple Avigan's supplies. The drug has received usage permission for cold medicine. Japan is also willing to donate Avigan to other countries if requested.

However, the shortage of COVID-19 patients in Japan is hampering Avigan's clinical trial process. Scientists from Fajita Health University in July said their results failed due to a lack of statistical data.

Fujifilm, through its written broadcast, said that it will study the test results and would apply for permission to use COVID-19 patients as early as October 2020.

(Antaranews)

Health officials from APEC member economies are stepping up regional cooperation to strengthen health capacity and address the impact of public health response to the health and economic crises created by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our goal is to help facilitate coordinated actions and manage health challenges, including sharing best practices and discussing openly about what works and what does not work, so that we can all learn as we go," Michael Pearson, head of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio, Canada, and co-chair of the APEC Health Working Group said in a press release on Wednesday.

According to the WHO Coronavirus Disease Dashboard, there have been approximately 31 million COVID-19 infections and almost one million deaths worldwide so far.

The APEC region accounts for over 34 percent of the global COVID-19 caseload and over 36 percent of deaths. In addition, most APEC economies are currently facing second or third waves of infections.

At the meeting, Pearson highlighted the importance for APEC members to continuously strengthen cooperation and ensure health systems integration in the region in face of cross-border health threats, such as the novel coronavirus disease.

APEC health officials also discussed a multi-year strategic course of action to ensure a resilient health system in the region.

Given the dramatic impact of the pandemic, APEC members ideated on vaccination approaches and support, reiterated the importance of keeping supply chains flowing smoothly, and called for collaboration to deal with the secondary impact of the pandemic, for instance, on mental health.

“The foundation of a strong economy lies in the productivity of its workforce, which, in turn, depends on the health and fitness of its people," Chen Chaw Min, secretary general of Malaysia’s Health Ministry, said in his opening remarks at the Second APEC Health Working Group meeting.

"A good health policy is a good economic policy," Chen stressed.

At the meeting themed ‘Building a Resilient Asia-Pacific in a COVID-19 World’, health ministers and senior private sector representatives convened online on Wednesday to explore steps member economies can take to boost investments in health to drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the region.

According to a recent report by the APEC Policy Support Unit, about 20 percent of people in the APEC region are at risk of falling into extreme poverty as their healthcare burdens increase.

The report highlights the necessity for allocating more funds for public health spending so that governments can expand access to healthcare and social protection. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian immigration authorities in Bali province have deported at least 66 foreign nationals over the last nine months for flouting immigration rules, including overstaying and providing false information to gain residence permits.

 I Putu Surya Dharma, head of the public relations and reformation division at the Legal and Human Rights Affairs Ministry in Bali stated on Wednesday (23/9) that most of the deportees hailed from Bulgaria, the United States, Ukraine, China, and Russia.

He also said that the preliminary deportation reports were obtained from the immigration offices of the Denpasar, Singaraja, and Ngurah Rai International Airport and  Russian nationals stayed on top of the list of the deportees.

He further stated that the Denpasar immigration authority deported 18 foreign nationals, including three Russians, between January and September this year, while its detention house received 20 more foreign nationals amid the ongoing Covid-19 situation. (Antaranews)

President Director of the Bung Karno Complex Management Center (PPKGBK) Winarto confirmed that the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports stadium was prepared to host the U-20 World Cup in 2021.

"The GBK stadium is ready," Winarto said on Tuesday.

The U-20 World Cup is scheduled to be organized in several cities throughout Indonesia, from May 20 to June 12, 2021. Indonesia will host a FIFA tournament for the first time.

President Joko Widodo, in his Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2020 on support for the implementation of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2021, ordered the minister of state secretary to prepare the GBK stadium for the 2021 U-20 World Cup.

PPKGBK is a public service agency managed by the Ministry of State Secretary.

The stadium is equipped with several high-quality facilities since it frequently hosts international championships, such as the FIFA World Cup Qualification, AFC Asian Cup, and Asian Games.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments will be organized at the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra; Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta; Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, West Java; Manahan Stadium in Solo, Central Java; Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, East Java; and Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Gianyar, Bali.

In line with FIFA's request, each stadium should be equipped with five supporting fields for the participating teams and the referee to train.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup is a biennial football world championship for male players under the age of 20, organized by FIFA. (Antaranews)