Indonesia is preparing more intensive care units after several days of record-high COVID-19 deaths last week, while the country waits to see whether the government will extend or loosen strict restrictions due to expire on Sunday .
Buckling under a delta variant-driven wave of the virus, Indonesia has become Asia’s COVID-19 epicenter, with hospitals flooding especially on the densely populated island of Java.
“Deaths have risen due to several factors: full hospitalizations, patients admitted with low saturation, or dying in self-isolation without monitoring,” senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said in a statement late Saturday.
Luhut, who oversees the COVID response on the islands of Java and Bali, said ICU capabilities would be added in areas that have reported the most deaths.
Famous for its tourist beaches and temples, Bali is battling oxygen shortage.
Indonesia reported record-high deaths on four separate days last week, the last of which was Friday’s 1,566, bringing the cumulative deaths to more than 82,000. Total case infections have passed 3.1 million, although health experts say both the number of deaths and the number of cases have been underestimated.
Just under 7% of its population of 270 million have been fully vaccinated, Southeast Asia’s largest country mainly reliant on shots produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech.
The debate over easing restrictions has pitted health experts, who say it is premature to ease restrictions during a surge of infections, against employer groups that have warned of mass layoffs unless restrictions remain in place. is not relaxed.
The government is scheduled to hold a news conference later on Sunday but has not set a time.
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