Crazy COVID-19 Cases, OTG And Patients With Mild Symptoms Asked For Isoman

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JAKARTA - New cases of COVID-19 continue to surge in DKI Jakarta and make the availability of beds at referral hospitals continue to run low. So to ease the burden on hospitals and health workers, positive COVID-19 patients who have no symptoms or mild symptoms are asked to self-isolate or isoman.

This request came from the Head of the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Widyastuti, after the addition of new cases in the capital reached 9,271 cases as of Saturday, June 27.

To people infected with COVID-19 with mild symptoms and the category of people without symptoms (OTG), he asked them not to be treated at a referral hospital. Moreover, the Ministry of Health has determined the priority criteria for COVID-19 patients who need to be hospitalized.

"The public needs to know that not all patients with COVID-19 must be treated in hospitals. The priority of patients who can be treated at the hospital are those with moderate, severe, and critical symptoms," said Widyastuti in a statement, Saturday, June 26.

More specifically, the priority criteria for patients who need to be hospitalized are if the oxygen saturation is below 95 percent, experiencing shortness of breath, difficulty/unable to speak, decreased consciousness, comorbidities, and moderate symptoms with pneumonia.

Meanwhile, outside of these criteria, Widyastuti sees no need to be treated at a COVID-19 referral hospital. "Those with mild symptoms, such as cough, runny nose, headache, sore throat, no shortness of breath, or those without symptoms, can only self-isolate at home or in controlled isolation facilities," he continued.

Widyastuti then asked the public not to panic when tested positive for COVID-19. If confirmed positive, immediately report to the COVID-19 Task Force at the RT level and the nearest Puskesmas so that an initial examination can be carried out and given an introduction if controlled isolation is required.

The same thing was also conveyed by the Director of Medical, Nursing, and Supporting Services at Fatmawati Loli Simanjuntak Hospital. He reminded anyone who had contracted COVID-19 not to rush to the hospital to be treated in a panic.

Loli said, if it's not serious, people should self-isolate in their respective homes. So, positive patients with comorbid diseases or other emergencies can get treatment from health workers.

"There is COVID without symptoms and with symptoms. If the PCR is positive or the antigen swab is positive but there are no symptoms, it is not treated at the hospital, so it's enough to just stay at home. Then secondly, there are symptoms of COVID but the symptoms are mild," Loli said at the conference press broadcast on the Indonesian Ministry of Health's YouTube, Thursday, June 24.

Meanwhile, for people who are tested positive for COVID-19 but have comorbid diseases with decreased oxygen saturation, they are required to undergo treatment in a hospital. Likewise, for those who have severe symptoms.

"It means high breathing, breathing above 24, saturation below 95, pneumonia accompanied by comorbidities. In terms of age, it is also under 60 years old or above 60 years old," he said.

"There are indeed criteria for patients to be treated. But if the symptoms are mild, we don't treat them and we hope to go to Wisma Atlet (RSDC Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, Jakarta) or those without symptoms can self-isolate," added Loli.

For information, there are currently 140 COVID-19 referral hospitals available in Jakarta. Of the 140 hospitals, there are RSUD/RSKD under the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, all of which have treated COVID-19.

The hospitals belonging to the DKI Provincial Government are Tanah Abang Hospital, Cempaka Putih Hospital, Sawah Besar Hospital, Tugu Koja Hospital, Pademangan Hospital, Cengkareng Hospital, Kalideres Hospital, Pasar Minggu Hospital, Kebayoran Lama Hospital, Kebayoran Baru Hospital, Jatipadang Hospital, Kramat Jati Hospital, RSUD Ciracas, Duren Sawit Hospital, Tarakan Hospital, Koja Hospital, Pasar Rebo Hospital, Budhi Asih Hospital, and Adhyaksa Hospital.