ASEANews HEADLINES: COVID-19 & DELTA VARIANTS: JAKARTA – Indonesia Passes 40,000 Covid Cases Ten Days after Lockdown

Jakarta. Indonesia reported another record-breaking daily numbers of Covid-19 cases which for the first time surpassed the 40,000 mark on Monday, the tenth day since lockdown was reimposed in provinces across stricken Java and Bali.

The country has now recorded a total of 2.57 million confirmed cases of the virus, an increase of 40,427 on the tally a day earlier, according to Health Ministry data.

Strict social restrictions returned in the country’s most crowded islands on July 3 amid a dramatic surge in newly cases attributed to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

An additional 891 Covid patients have died in the 24-hour period, bringing the total death toll to 67,355.

The total number of active cases stands at 380,797, mostly in six provinces across Java.

Jakarta, home to 26 percent of the national tally, set a new record in the highest number of Covid cases at the provincial level with more than 14,600 new cases in the day, taking its total to 677,061.

The new high came despite the city having closed its borders for non-essential visits since lockdown took effect.

The capital city also found a worrying trend of new infections among young people, with 13 percent of today’s new cases affecting people under the age of 18, according to the city’s Health Department.

Hundreds Die at Home
With the health system in the state of near collapse, more Covid patients were asked to self-isolate at home, many with severe symptoms that should have received hospital treatments.

At least 451 people with Covid have died while self-isolating in their homes, according to LaporCovid-19, a group of volunteers who opens an online reporting system and tracks news reports on verified media websites.

In West Java, there were 160 fatalities among self-isolating Covid patients, said Ahmad Arif, initiator of the volunteer group.

“It’s just the tip of the iceberg because there are so many unreported cases. In Jakarta alone, we consulted with the Health Department and were informed that an average of 45 self-isolating patients die in a day. We are facing a very huge problem,” Ahmad said.