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As COVID-19 pandemic seems unrelenting, it has found new epicentre: a yet another country in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region – Indonesia.
In the past one month, the archipelago on the top of Australia has reported 1.07 million fresh COVID-19 cases. In the process it has seen its cumulative COVID-19 tally surge by 50% -- from 2 million total cases to 3 million total cases.
That is not it: the wave has been deadly, as well. The official death toll in the country has increased by 26,000 deaths in a month to about 82,000 cumulative deaths right now.
As on date, Indonesia leads the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported, accounting for one in every seven deaths reported worldwide each day. This is disproportionately higher than the country’s share in world population: while country makes up roughly 3% of the world population, daily share of COVID-19 deaths these days is almost five times higher at 14%.
The surge is leading to oxygen crisis in the country, which is seen as a low middle-income country. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita for the country stands at US$12,310 – less than three-fourths of the world numbers.
The tourist island of Bali, known for its beaches and temples, is running out of oxygen for its COVID-19 patients as infections surge, the chief of its health agency has admitted, as Southeast Asia’s biggest country struggles with the region’s worst COVID-19 outbreak.
The peak may be well behind the country though: as on the date, the country is reporting only 87% of the 51,952 cases it reported a almost a week ago on 17 July.
But this is not meant to be complacent. This wave will continue to claim the lives of the Indonesians, if the government doesn’t wake up. The country with population of roughly 275 million has just 6.4% of its total citizens fully vaccinated. The country has been laggard in terms of vaccination – at 103rd slot globally. Time to up the game, probably.
