Australia is donating ventilators, medical supplies to Indonesia as coronavirus-related deaths rise
CANBERRA, July 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Australia is sending ventilators and other medical supplies to Indonesia as daily coronavirus-related deaths in the South-East Asian country exceeded 1,000 for the first time on Wednesday.
Australia is providing “immediate health support” worth 12 million dollars, including 1,000 ventilators, 700 oxygen concentrators and 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.
“Australian support will extend rapid testing capacity, maintain existing health services and assist with emergency medical facilities as Indonesia responds to growing case numbers,” Payne said.
Indonesia reported 34,373 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a record daily rise, taking the total number of confirmed infections to nearly 2.4 million, according to the Health Ministry.
Another 1,040 fatalities, also the highest daily jump ever recorded, brought the virus-related death toll to 62,908.
Indonesia is struggling with a rapid surge in coronavirus cases, driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Hospitals across the islands of Java and Bali have been forced to turn away patients, with some facing oxygen shortages.
At least 33 patients died in a hospital in the central Java city of Yogyakarta over the weekend after the facility ran out of oxygen.
Even with record case numbers and deaths, experts said the real figures are likely to be much higher because of low levels of testing and tracing. — NNN-AGENCIES
