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 Indonesia has been battling a tide of coronavirus infections and
deaths driven by the highly contagious Delta variant for the past
month, as the country has quickly become Asia's coronavirus
epicentre.
On Wednesday, the data showed Indonesia's total number of infections
had reached 3.53 million, while deaths rose by 1,747 to 100,636,
although public health experts believe the true toll is likely far
higher.
"Indonesia needs a comprehensive audit of COVID deaths," said
Defriman Djafri, an epidemiologist at Andalas University in Padang,
West Sumatra, citing a sub-optimal healthcare response.
Delays in hospital treatment that could have caused preventable
COVID-19 deaths and the rate of co-morbidity should be investigated,
he added.
Indonesia's coroanvirus toll was about 50,000 at the end of May,
meaning that deaths have doubled since then.
Testing and tracing shortfalls have further exacerbated the death
toll, said Masdalina Pane from the Indonesian Epidemiologist’s
Association.
"Patients come to hospital in a severe or critical condition," she
said, adding: "They come to hospital to die."
Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populated nation, has the 12th
highest cumulative death toll from the virus globally, behind
countries such as the United States, India and Brazil, according to
data collated by a Reuters COVID-19 tracker.
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 The country also currently
leads the world in the daily average number of
new deaths reported, accounting for one in every
five deaths, the data showed.
Health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said this
week there were positive signs Indonesia's
devastating second wave had peaked, especially
in parts of densely populated Java island,
although concerns remain for other regions, and
remote islands in particular.
Even as cases have started to taper in some
areas, President Joko Widodo has said that
social mobility restrictions introduced in early
July would remain in place until August 9 in
designated areas, including in Jakarta.
Launching an ambitious campaign in January to
inoculate 208 million people by next year,
Southeast Asia's biggest country has so far
vaccinated less than 11% of that target,
hampered by supply and logistical issues as well
as vaccine hesitancy.
In a bid to speed up the rollout, the health
ministry said this week that people without an
identity card would also be able to get
vaccinated, a move intended to reach the
country's most vulnerable.
(Additional reporting by Stanley Widianto;
Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ed Davies)
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