Luhut Asks OTG COVID-19 Patients And Mild Symptoms Not To Be Treated In Hospital

ILLUSTRATION DOC ANTARA/Wisma Athlete Kemayoran

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan requested that COVID-19 patients who have mild symptoms and people without symptoms (OTG) are not hospitalized.

The reason is, Luhut does not want the COVID-19 bed to be full, even though many patients can self-isolate. Given, the full occupancy of beds resulted in an increase in the level of PPKM in an area.

"We want mild (COVID-19 cases), OTG not to enter the hospital so that the BOR (bed occupancy ratio) remains low," Luhut said in a virtual press conference, Monday, February 7.

Regarding treatment at the hospital, Luhut said that currently the majority or 65 percent of patients being treated currently have mild and asymptomatic symptoms.

What is meant by asymptomatic is that there are no symptoms at all when exposed. Meanwhile, mild symptoms are symptomatic but without shortness of breath or decreased oxygen saturation.

Mild symptoms usually include fever, cough, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, inability to smell, and inability to taste food on the tongue.

Therefore, to reduce hospital occupancy, Luhut asked COVID-19 patients without symptoms and mild symptoms to self-isolate or centrally.

"According to the President's directives, only moderate, severe and critical symptoms are admitted to the hospital and the rest are doing centralized isolation. The government will massively encourage the use of telemedicine for people who have mild symptoms," he explained.