The Trend Of Increasing COVID-19 Cases, Palembang City Government Ensures Availability Of Oxygen And Drugs For Patients

Illustration - A resident of Palembang, South Sumatra, fills an empty oxygen cylinder (ANTARA)

PALEMBANG - The Palembang City Government, South Sumatra ensures the availability of oxygen and medicines for COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force of the Palembang City Health Service, Yudhi Setiawan, said that currently the city is experiencing an increasing trend of positive COVID-19 cases with 170 active cases, as of Wednesday, February 2.

Of the 170 active cases, it is known that 64 people are undergoing treatment at the hospital due to severe symptoms and 106 other cases are isolated. Based on the trend of increasing cases, the local municipal government began to make preparations to eliminate the bigger impact.

For example, checking the availability of oxygen and medicines in every hospital and health facility, such as a puskesmas.

His party noted that the amount of oxygen available in 18 hospitals accumulated 35,797 cubic meters for liquid oxygen, then small oxygen cylinders (one cubic meter) totaled 45 cubic meters and large oxygen cylinders (six cubic meters) were 192 cubic meters.

With that amount, it can still meet the needs of patients undergoing treatment. The current average oxygen requirement for 64 COVID-19 patients plus general patients is 3,790 cubic meters per day.

"It's still sufficient and safe for the next few months for oxygen. If there is an increase in cases, we and the hospital will coordinate with the provincial government, like when the case increased last year, getting oxygen supplies from companies," he said in Palembang, Antara. , Thursday, February 3rd.

For COVID-19 medicines, he said, currently the stock is also sufficient for patients in treatment and those in isolation. The drugs include Levofloxacin with stock 1,697 tablets, Azithromycin 1,345 capsules, Remdesivir Inj 150 vials, Favipiravir 1,331 tablets, and Oseltamivir 1,125 tablets.

He explained that based on the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, it is hoped that there will be additional medicines or supplements so that the recovery rate can be increased.

"This amount is still sufficient. The addition is just anticipating. Because everyone who is hospitalized and in self-isolation at home will receive medicine, those who are isoman at home will be delivered by our PSC team. You do this by downloading the Lekas Sehat application to do 'telemedicine', "said Yudhi, who is also the Head of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Section (P2P) of the Palembang City Health Office.

Based on data on the spread of COVID-19 from the Palembang City Health Office as of Wednesday (2/2), there were 17 additional positive cases, bringing the current total to 170.

A total of 17 cases were spread across eight of the 18 sub-districts in the area, each in Bukit Kecil District with two cases, Ilir Barat I two cases, Kalidoni one case, Kemuning four cases, Plaju one case, Sako three cases, Sukarame four cases, and Sematang Forms in one case. A total of 10 other districts have no additional new cases.

There are 170 active confirmed cases of COVID-19. On Monday (31/1) there were 108 cases, while there were zero deaths and six cases of recovered cases from the previous one case.

The occupancy rate of COVID-19 beds in 18 hospitals in Palembang currently reaches 10 percent or 64 people from a total of 664 beds, in hospital isolation rooms there are 64 patients or 11 percent of a total of 573 beds, while ICU patients are nil.