Due To The Delta Variant, Global COVID-19 Cases Up 80 Percent

ILLUSTRATION/PIXABAY

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the increase in global cases had increased by 80 percent due to the Delta variant in the past month.

"On July 30, 2021, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus even said that in the last 4 weeks (1 month), the increase in global cases increased by 80 percent due to the Delta variant," said Retno Marsudi, quoted by Antara, Sunday, 1 August.

"Many countries, especially in the Southeast Asia region, have experienced a significant increase in COVID-19 cases," said Retno.

The death rate in the world, she continued, also increased by 10 percent compared to last week.

"In the period from 19-25 July 2021, WHO also recorded a death toll of 69,000 people, an increase of 21 percent from the previous week," said Retno.

The WHO Director-General is also still paying attention to the wide global COVID-19 vaccination gap, she said.

"In the European region, the rate of vaccine being injected is 84.9 percent compared to the population, 82.5 percent in North America, while in Africa it is only 4.6 percent compared to the population.

Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, it reached 21.7 percent (compared to the population), she said.

Especially for Indonesia, until now only around 24.49 percent of the total population has received the COVID-19 vaccine or the equivalent of 67,761,337 doses.

"God willing, by continuing to arrive at vaccines from various sources to Indonesia, we can accelerate the vaccination program for the Indonesian people, which in the end is expected to suppress the spread of COVID-19," said Retno.

On Sunday, August 1 afternoon, 3.5 million doses of the vaccine brand Moderna made in the United States (US) arrived in Indonesia.

Indonesia will also receive 620,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK on Monday, August 2.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Indonesia had received 178,357,880 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Namely 144,700,280 doses in bulk form and 33,657,600 doses of the finished vaccine.