JAKARTA, Dec 29 (NNN-ANTARA) – The average bed occupancy rate (BOR) for COVID-19 patients in Indonesia, reached 64.10 percent, above the WHO standard of 60 percent, amid fears of a spike in COVID-19 cases, after the Christmas and year-end holiday seasons, the Ministry of Health said.
The ministry’s Director General of Health, Abdul Kadir, said, there are eight provinces that have BOR above the national average, namely Banten 85 percent, Jakarta 84 percent, West Java 83 percent, Yogyakarta 82 percent, Central Kalimantan 79 percent, East Java 77 percent, Central Java 76 percent, and South Sulawesi 69 percent.
“If there are even a few more patients in these provinces, hospitals would be overwhelmed, services would not be optimal, and eventually, the death rate would increase,” Kadir told a virtual conference.
In anticipation of the collapse of hospitals and medical services, the government asked provincial health office and hospital directors, to add 30-40 percent more of the total existing beds.
The government also added 1,297 more beds for 34 public hospitals that handle COVID-19 patients.
As of yesterday, Indonesia recorded 719,219 cases, with 589,978 recoveries and 21,452 deaths.– NNN-ANTARA
