Doni Munardo Sentil South Sumatra On The High Death Rate Of COVID-19

PALEMBANG - Head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Doni Monardo touched on the South Sumatra Provincial Government regarding the high mortality rate for COVID-19 patients. The increase in COVID-19 cases has made hospital filling increases

"It turns out that South Sumatra is hitting the top on the mortality rate, even though last month it was still in the middle ranks," said Doni Munardo during a joint monitoring meeting with Forkopimda South Sumatra in Palembang, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, May 5.

According to him, the COVID-19 death rate in South Sumatra is currently ranked third nationally with an accumulation of 4.7 percent (1,033 cases), higher than the national mortality rate of only 2.7 percent.

While the hospital bed occupancy rate (BOR) in early May 2021 had reached 57 percent or close to the WHO maximum standard of 60 percent, whereas in early April 2021 the BOR rate was still 25 percent.

The high mortality rate is inseparable from the increase in daily positive cases in South Sumatra, which currently only takes nine days to register 1,000 cases, there are still many positive cases having comorbidities that trigger the death rate to continue to increase.

"Most of those who are exposed to under 46 years of age have managed to recover, but for those over the age group that is very vulnerable," he said.

Therefore, his party asked the regional heads in South Sumatra to focus on anticipating the increase in cases currently hitting all districts / cities, either by increasing hospital capacity or preparing quarantine locations for residents who were already or on their way home.

Because as of May 2, 2021, there are three areas of the COVID-19 red zone in South Sumatra, namely Palembang, Prabumulih and East OKU Regency, while the other nine areas are in the orange zone and five areas are in the yellow zone.

"Do not let the homecoming go unattended, in many places it has been proven that the travelers transmit COVID-19 to other residents and even go to one RT," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of the South Sumatra Health Office Lesty Nuraini said that he had written to all 17 districts / cities to increase the bed capacity of COVID-19 patients to improve health care services in facing the moment of Eid to reduce the death rate.

"Hospitals in the regions should increase their capacity by 30 percent from what is currently available," he said.