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Covid-19: Indonesia becomes Asia’s new pandemic epicentre as delta variant spreads

BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1815 (Published 16 July 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1815

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Re: Covid-19: Indonesia becomes Asia’s new pandemic epicentre as delta variant spreads

Dear Editor

When Indonesia was still attempting to overcome the coronavirus, which was still prevalent, the latest variant of the coronavirus, namely the delta variant, arrived and quickly spread to all cities throughout Indonesia. The response of the Indonesian government, which appeared to be slow in deciding to close international arrivals, was also a problem that added to Indonesians' anxiety. Delta variants are known to infect humans more quickly than other variants. In Indonesia, cases and deaths have skyrocketed in July as the highly contagious delta variant sweeps through densely populated Java island, as well as Bali. Covid transmission in Indonesia continues to set records as the country with the most covid in Asia, so it is not surprising that Indonesia becomes Asia's new pandemic epicentre.

In response to an increase in cases of more than 100,000, the Indonesian government recently implemented a lockdown that was implemented in every city throughout the country. In July in some areas, the coronavirus has pushed the medical system to its breaking point, despite the fact that hospitals are taking emergency measures to increase capacity. Additionally, to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Indonesian government has implemented a vaccination program that is available to all residents of the country, in addition to the lockdown. Indonesia, on the other hand, according to the Indonesian Epidemiologist, will experience a COVID-19 endemic. According to the latest available information on November 5, 2021, total vaccinations 1, 2, and 3 had successfully passed 200 million injection doses and the number of active cases had fallen below 10,000.

Competing interests: No competing interests

09 November 2021
Annisa Mutia
Student
Master in Global Health and Development. Department of Global Health and Development, Taipei Medical University, Taipei Taiwan
Taipei Medical University No. 250, Wuxing St, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110