Indonesia on Wednesday extended to the entire archipelago the restrictions ordered to deal with the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The government is suggesting that the worst of the epidemic may be yet to come.
The health system in the world’s fourth most populous country is overwhelmed by an influx of patients. On Tuesday, July 6, the government reported a record 31,189 new infections and 728 Covid-19-related deaths. This is seven times higher than less than a month ago.
Fewer than one in ten Indonesians are now vaccinated, and among those who have already received doses, mortality is also alarming. Health care workers, for example, were one of the first populations to benefit from the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, and of those who died in June, a majority had been vaccinated for several months.
For Dicky Budiman, two things are clear: “First, it seems that the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine diminishes after six months. Secondly, it seems that its effectiveness is not good enough to deal with the Delta variant.
Finally, observers are concerned that with one of the lowest test rates in the world and the fact that testing is not free for people without symptoms, the real number of people affected by the virus is necessarily much higher than the already worrying official figures suggest.
The Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, said she had spoken with her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on Wednesday to confirm “immediate health support”. Australia will send 2.5m AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Indonesia and will fund 1,000 ventilators as the country battles record high Covid cases that are pushing the health system to breaking point.
The government says the package includes $12m for oxygen-related and other medical equipment, including 1,000 ventilators, up to 700 oxygen concentrators, more than 170 oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies.
The Australian government also plans to provide Indonesia with more than 40,000 rapid-antigen test kits, along with 2.5m AstraZeneca vaccine doses in 2021.
Payne said Australia was providing support to extend rapid testing capacity, maintain existing health services and assist with emergency medical facilities as Indonesia responded to growing case numbers.
She said the package built on “Australia’s strong support for Indonesia’s Covid-19 response to date”, including the previously announced provision of a $1.5bn loan and 100 non-invasive ventilators and other medical and laboratory equipment.
Payne said Australia was already providing $102m in support of Indonesia’s national vaccine rollout, including $77m for vaccine procurement through Unicef. The minister also pointed to Australia’s $130m contribution to the Covax initiative.
