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Category: Public health

  • Fiji faces 1220 new covid cases, seven deaths as infections still rise

    RNZ Pacific

    Covid-19 infections continue to rise in Fiji with 1220 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

    The government also confirmed seven more deaths, bringing the toll to 261.

    That compares with 1100 cases and 13 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the seven deaths were reported between 31 July 31 and 2 August.

    He said all but two of the victims were not vaccinated.

    Dr Fong said six of the victims were in the Central Division and one in the Western Division.

    • A 24-year-old man from Tailevu presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. A medical team brought him to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva on 1 August. He died on his way to the hospital. His family reported that he was experiencing shortness of breath one week prior to his presentation to the health centre.
    • A 78-year-old man from Kalabu in Nasinu died at home on 1 August.
    • An 85-year-old woman from Nasinu died at home on 2 August.
    • A 67-year-old woman from Nabua had died at home on 1 August.
    • A 65-year-old man from Sigatoka was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Sigatoka Sub-Divisional Hospital. Dr Fong said this means the man had died either at home or on his way to the hospital.
    • A 48-year-old woman from Nabena village died at home on 2 August. Her family reported that she had a cough, fever, shortness of breath and chest pain for a week before her death.
    • A 54-year-old man from Cunningham died at home on 31 July.
    Fiji's Chief Medical Adviser Jemesa Tudravu
    Fiji’s Chief Medical Adviser Jemesa Tudravu … “all our major health facilities remain fully functional in all divisions.” Image: RNZ/Fiji govt

    Three other people who tested positive to covid-19 had also died but their deaths have been classified as not caused by the virus.

    Dr Fong said that out of the 1220 latest cases, 756 were from the Central Division while the rest are from the west.

    He said there had been 1113 recoveries since the last update that meant there were now 22,689 active cases; 18,506 active cases in the Central Division and 4183 in the West.

    Covid-patients on oxygen support, ventilators
    Meanwhile, 64 covid patients are on oxygen support while three are on ventilators, Chief Medical adviser Dr Jemesa Tudravu said.

    He said 332 infected people were admitted in hospital facilities, with 84 in a severe or critical condition.

    A total of 384,200 individuals had been screened and 70,744 swabbed, Dr Tudravu said.

    He also said all major health services were operational across the country.

    Dr Tudravu said the ministry was concerned about the increase in the number of new cases and deaths in the country.

    “In terms of health services, all our major health facilities remain fully functional in all divisions providing emergency services, admissions, and inpatient care for Covid and non-covid patients,” he said.

    Dr Tudravu said a patient care-flow pathway has been established to ensure that all cases of Covid-19 are identified and followed up.

    “This essentially means that if a patient is diagnosed with Covid-19, that patient will be directed to a care plan where the patient will be admitted at home and followed up through telehealth.

    “They can also be admitted to an intermediate care facility such as the field hospital and cared for by our team or admitted at the main hospital for high-level care.”

    Fiji now has 22,689 active cases in isolation and 261 deaths, 259 of them from the latest outbreak that began in April.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ sends 100,000 vaccine doses to Fiji as covid deaths top 250

    RNZ Pacific

    New Zealand is sending 100,000 vaccine doses and additional financial support to Fiji for nursing staff as the country’s covid-19 death toll passed 250.

    Fiji reported 1100 new cases and 13 more deaths today, bringing the total death toll to 254.

    Of the deaths, 252 of them have come from the April outbreak of the delta variant of covid-19.

    Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand paid for 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine directly from the Spanish government to meet Fiji’s immediate vaccine needs.

    The vaccines were due to arrive today.

    “Our thoughts remain with Fiji during this incredibly challenging period,” Mahuta said in a statement.

    Earlier this year, the government committed to providing up to 500,000 doses.

    Commitment still stands
    Mahuta said that commitment still stood.

    “AstraZeneca is Fiji’s vaccine of choice and these doses will further support the excellent work Fiji is doing in vaccinating its population.”

    Mahuta said the nation’s vaccination drive was coming along.

    “Fiji’s vaccination programme is progressing well with 25 percent now fully vaccinated, and first doses provided to 82 percent of the population.

    “Our commitment stands and New Zealand will continue to work with Fiji to confirm its remaining vaccine requirements.”

    She said the government was also funding for 190 Fiji graduate nurses for a three-month period.

    “The recruitment of these nurses not only supports Fiji’s response in the short term, but also contributes to the long-term resilience of the health sector.”

    NZ responds to requests
    New Zealand has also responded to a range of other requests from Fiji.

    “In the last two weeks New Zealand has supported the provision and retrofitting of ambulances and medical equipment, provided funding support to civil society partners and begun delivering 700,000 testing swabs and privacy screens for medical facilities,” Mahuta said.

    These initiatives build on previous packages of support New Zealand has provided Fiji, including $40 million of financial assistance, PPE, testing equipment and other relief supplies.

    New Zealand has also deployed two rotations of medical personnel to the joint Australia New Zealand Medical Assistance Team.

    “We remain in close contact with the government of Fiji and civil society partners to support further requests,” Mahuta said.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • The Jakarta Post: Delay the dangerous Papua Games over covid risks

    EDITORIAL: By the editorial board of The Jakarta Post

    After chairing a cabinet ministers meeting on July 13, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the 20th National Games (PON) in Papua would go ahead as scheduled from October 2 to 15. The subsequent National Paralympic Games are then to be held from November 2 to 15.

    The government postponed the two sporting events last year over covid-19 concerns – although it didn’t seem too concerned when it pushed for regional elections in 270 regions last December.

    The President’s decision to allow the PON to go ahead was based on good intentions, such as giving an opportunity and pride to Papuan people to host a national sports event, a luxury that eludes many other regions. But at what cost?

    As in 2020, Papua today is still not free of the deadly disease and it may remain that way for the foreseeable future given the province’s poor testing, tracing and treatment capacity and very low vaccination rate. Therefore, we call on the government to once again delay the event until we can flatten the transmission curve of the coronavirus.

    The PON will only turn into a dangerous game to play.

    The President should listen to Mimika Regent Eltinus Omaleng, who plans to send an official letter to the head of state to ask for the PON’s rescheduling because the regency, the mining site of PT Freeport, now is preoccupied with a rising number of covid-19 cases The local government is also facing shortages of oxygen, medicines and patient beds.

    Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has shared the same concerns and will officially request a delay to the Games.

    The central government needs to listen to the local leaders, because they know very well the development on the ground. Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali is among the staunchest proponents of the PON in Papua, saying all sports venues and equipment would be 100 percent ready for the Games next month.

    Despite the minister’s confidence, however, it will be the Papuan leaders and people who will have to bear the brunt of all consequences if Jakarta insists the show must go on.

    Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and National Police chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo have also pledged their commitment to safety and security of all participants during the PON and Paralympic Games. But how about the threat of the deadly disease?

    According to the original plan, the PON will be held in Jayapura city, Jayapura regency, Mimika regency and Merauke regency. The four-yearly event will feature 37 sports and 6400 athletes plus 3500 officials from 34 provinces across the country. The Paralympics will be held in Jayapura city and Jayapura regency, featuring 1,935 athletes.

    With more than 12,000 people gathering, the risk of the Games becoming a new covid-19 cluster should not be disregarded, even if the government bans spectators from all sports venues, and all participating athletes and officials are vaccinated before the PON begin.

    Papua can host the PON once we can rein in the pandemic. The President should not let unnecessary victims fall simply because he wants to show to the world the development progress in Papua.

    This is a matter of life in very real terms.

    The Jakarta Post pubished this editorial under the title “Dangerous Papua Games” on 31 July 2021.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Vaccine resistance in West Papua as covid-19 pandemic rages

    By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific journalist

    As with much of Indonesia, the country’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua are struggling to contain the spread of covid-19, with the delta variant on the loose.

    In their latest update, health authorities in Papua province reported 33,826 confirmed cases of the virus to date, as well as 794 known deaths. In West Papua province, there were 18,027 confirmed cases and 278 deaths.

    Earlier this week, the Papua provincial health spokesman Silvanus Sumule spoke to media outside a hospital in downtown Jayapura, explaining that hospital capacity had passed 100 percent, while they were short of oxygen tanks for covid patients.

    Patients were being treated in corridors or outside the building, the sort of desperate scenes being experienced across Indonesia, which has become the latest epicentre of the pandemic in Asia, with more than 3.2 million cases and 90,000 deaths from covid.

    Papua provincial health spokesman Silvanus Sumule July 2021
    Papua provincial health spokesman Silvanus Sumule outside a hospital in downtown Jayapura this week as he explains the strain on the health system from covid-19. Image: RNZ

    But the health system in Papua is weaker than most other parts of the republic, adding to fears that the virus is on track to cause devastation in indigenous Papuan communities.

    A human rights adviser to the Papuan People’s Assembly, Wensi Fatubun, said that with the Delta variant rampaging through communities, Papua’s provincial government had sought a full lockdown for the month of August.

    “So the local government announced for the lockdown. But the national government doesn’t want Papua province locked down, and to use different restrictions on community activities.”

    With Jakarta having overruled Papua’s local government on the matter, the onus goes on how people respond to the restrictions on gatherings as well as safety measures. But adherence to these basic measures has been mixed in Papua during the pandemic.

    “We are really worried with covid-19. If it goes to the remote areas, we don’t know, maybe many, many indigenous Papuans will die, because there’s not enough doctors, nurses, and also health facilities,” Fatubun said.

    Across Jayapura, there has been a spate of burials in recent days — another sign of the surge in covid-19 cases, which could be significantly higher than official statistics show.

    ‘Many Papuans are dying’
    To avert the death rate growing more out of control, the national government of President Joko Widodo is focussing on efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible in the coming weeks and months.

    Abepura cemetery, Jayapura, Papua, 25 July, 2021
    Abepura cemetery … a spate of burials in Jayapura in recent days – a sign of the surge in local deaths from covid-19. Image: RNZ

    But so far only around 7 percent of the population of 270 million have had at least a first dose of the vaccine. In Papua region, the take-up is understood to be lower than average.

    The moderator of the Papuan Council of Churches, Reverend Benny Giay said many West Papuans were resisting the vaccine rollout, chiefly because of the role of Indonesian security forces who he said indigenous Papuans deeply mistrusted.

    “In the past few months, in several districts, it’s the military and police who accompanied medical teams who go promoting the vaccines. But people turn them away. It’s very difficult to convince the people,” he said.

    Given the ongoing violent conflict between Indonesian security forces and West Papuan independence fighters, as well as decades of human rights abuses and racism against Papuans, Reverend Giay said the resistance was understandable.

    “The reality here is that they’ve gone through this crisis and violence, and the government is involving military and police to be part of this and we don’t like that.”

    Warning against misinformation
    Reverend Giay wants his people to get vaccinated, and is urging Papuans to not be dissuaded by misinformation propagated on social media. He suggested outside help was required.

    “Many Papuans are dying. We’ve been calling international community for help — maybe the International Red Cross, maybe a humanitarian intervention to convince our people (to get vaccinated).”

    This proposal is highly unlikely to be accepted by the Indonesian government which has long restricted outside access to Papua.

    Jakarta continues with a business-as-usual approach in the remote eastern region, and is sticking to its plans for Papua to host the Indonesia National Games in October which will bring in many people form other parts of the country.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • NZ covid-19 mass vaccination event gets under way in Auckland

    RNZ News

    New Zealand’s first mass vaccination event is getting under way in Manukau where 16,000 people are due to receive a covid-19 vaccine in the next three days.

    The Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau has been set up with 242 booths, and people will file in at their allotted time to take a seat and wait for a vaccinator to come to them.

    Just 12 vaccinators will inject roughly one person each a minute.

    They can work quickly because other people are doing the logistics and health checks.

    After a rocky start, with a slow uptake of bookings initially, the event is now fully booked and organisers say they will not be able to take any walk-ins.

    Earlier in the week, Manukau City Councillor Fa’anana Efeso Collins’ had criticised communication by health authorities with the target people after less than a quarter of those initially sent invitations for the event booked a slot.

    He called the communications plan to reach Māori, Pacific and vulnerable communities an “absolute failure”.

    Surge of late bookings
    RNZ had reported that initially about 12,500 people were sent invitations, with people urged to get their whānau to book too.

    However, only 3000 of those booked a place. A surge of bookings late in the week turned this situation around.

    Auckland District Health Board (DHB) says the event is on an international model, designed to get large groups of people vaccinated efficiently and safely in a short period of time at a single venue.

    “People coming for the vaccine will come into the arena, queue up and then be directed to a seat in a booth.

    “Once seated, all of the services will be delivered there. This minimises movement and disruption and allows for a higher throughput of people. We will have 12 vaccinators operating each day of the event.

    “A vaccinator will come with a trolley and administer the vaccine then people will be required to wait in the booth for observation for 20 minutes.”

    There will be a team of medically trained observers assigned to a row who will monitor people and provide assistance if needed.

    Once the 20-minute observation period is up people will be taken by shuttle back to the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) campus.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Solomons PM warns journalists against ‘yellow journalism’ rumours

    Pacific Media Watch newsdesk

    Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has warned the news media that the country’s emergency powers enable the government to target “yellow journalism” and the spreading of misinformation, reports the Solomon Islands Herald.

    Speaking in Parliament on a motion to extend the covid pandemic State of Public Emergency by a further four months, Sogavare said the rationale for having this provision was to ensure individuals or the news media did not spread rumours or misinformation that cause disturbances may divert much needed resources.

    “I respect our freedom to express ourselves but I must say that I am extremely disappointed in how some individuals and mainstream media have continued to disseminate rumours and misinformation to our people,” he said.

    The Emergency Powers (COVID-19) (No.2) Regulations 2021 have provisions relating to yellow journalism.

    Sogavare cited recent media reports that had been published in the past few days as “pathetic and disappointing”, especially since the publications were “mere rumours, misinformation and just outright lies”.

    “The government has been very tolerant of these malicious lies and rumours published in the media. We have demonstrated restraint but I must say our patience and restraint is surely tested with this yellow journalism,” Prime Minister Sogavare said.

    The press, though not formally recognised as an established part of the formal political system, played the role of the watchdog over the formally established three estates of the state — judiciary, legislature and executive.

    Role of watchdog
    Prime Minister Sogavare said the role of the watchdog must be based on the press providing verified and reliable information to the public.

    He said the press was accorded the title of “Fourth Estate” because of the confidence and trust that the public had in the press as the watchdog.

    Quoting Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Prime Minister said: “Freedom of the press is essential to the preservation of a democracy; but there is a difference between freedom and licence.

    “Editorialists who tell downright lies in order to advance their own agendas do more to discredit the press than all the censors in the world.”

    Prime Minister Sogavare also quoted Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times from 1935 to 1961, saying: “Perhaps we ought to ask ourselves just what freedom of the press really is. Whose freedom is it?

    “Does it merely guarantee the right of the publisher to do and say whatever he wishes, limited only by the laws of libel, public order and decency?

    “Is it only a special licence to those who manage the units of the press? The answer, of course, is no.

    ‘Freedom of the press’
    “Freedom of the press — or, to be more precise, the benefit of freedom of the press belongs to everyone — to the citizen as well as the publisher,” he said.

    “The publisher is not granted the privilege of independence simply to provide him with a more favoured position in the community than is accorded to other citizens. He enjoys an explicitly defined independence because it is the only condition under which he can fulfil his role, which is to inform fully, fairly and comprehensively.

    “The crux is not the publisher’s ‘freedom to print’; it is rather the citizens’ ‘right to know’, Sogavare added.

    • “Yellow journalism” is an American expression referring to newspapers that present poorly researched and unverified news while using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, sensationalism, rumours or false information. In the Pacific context, the phrase often means any journalism critical of governments.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Protests and Pandemics: Civil Society Mobilisation in Thailand and the Philippines

    COVID-19 has led to the use of emergency powers that shrink civic space globally. Southeast Asia is no exception. Yet, emergency powers have varying effects in controlling the pandemic, and democracy activists and human rights defenders have responded to such constraints differently.

    This policy brief draws from two country contexts from Southeast Asia—Thailand and the Philippines—to analyse the influence that emergency powers have in shaping civil society activism. It further compares and contrasts these two countries by highlighting:

    1. How emergency powers create diverging outcomes in managing the pandemic.
    2. How civil society activism shapes and is shaped by national pandemic response.

    Click on the cover image below to download the full policy brief.

    COVID-19 and Emergency Powers

    Thailand became the first country outside of China to report COVID-19 on 13 January 2020. By the end of March that year, 60 of 77 provinces had COVID-19 outbreaks. COVID-19 cases remained below 5,000 for the most part in 2020. After this, Thailand recorded two other waves of COVID-10 outbreaks in December 2020 and April 2021. As of July 2021, Thailand has more than 415,000 confirmed cases and 3400 deaths. In comparison to Thailand, the Philippines never experienced waves of outbreak but has seen a continuous surge since the first case was reported on 20 January 2020. As of June 2021, the Philippines has more than 1.2 million confirmed cases and 22,000 deaths.

    Related

    Civil Society and Southeast Asia’s Authoritarian Turn

    Just as there is no simple correlation between democracy and good governance, we can no longer draw a straight line between authoritarianism and weak governance.

    Hunter Marston 04 June, 2021

    To manage the COVID-19 outbreak, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha declared a state of emergency (Emergency Declaration 2020) On 25 March, using Section 5 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation B.E 2548 (2005). This decree came into effect on 26 March 2020, bringing all provinces under the emergency power and transferring authority from Ministers to Prayut himself. In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 929 on 16 March 2020, which placed the country under a state of calamity for six months due to COVID-19. This specific proclamation allowed the National Government and local government units unprecedented discretion to utilise appropriate funds in their disaster preparedness and response efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

    Mass Mobilisation during the Pandemic

    The key findings highlight varying outcomes that result from the use of emergency powers for national pandemic responses and differences in the opportunities and costs for civil society. Both countries employed emergency measures to address the pandemic. These emergency measures centralised authority and financial resources with the national government. In the case of Thailand, this was effective in managing the spread of COVID-19 in the first outbreak, thereby providing opportunities for citizens to mobilise in street protests. However, in the Philippines, emergency powers centralised authority and resources and, at the same time, allowed the military to become directly involved in the pandemic response. As a result, the pandemic response was harnessed for counterinsurgency and state repression.

    Civil society mobilisation is interrelated with pandemic responses in the sense that it provides an important check on emergency powers and helps to provide access to services and information. Civil society mobilisation has pressured the Thai and Philippine governments to improve their pandemic responses but is not shown to translate into policy change or reform when pre-existing civic participation is already constrained and further worsened by the pandemic. In the case of the Philippines, the failing pandemic response has had ambivalent impacts on civil society mobilisation. Strict lockdowns and rising COVID-19 cases disincentivise people from going out in the streets and protesting. There have been cases of online or social media protests but these feed into the already problematic terrain of digital disinformation in the Philippines. Health workers remain on the frontlines of the pandemic and have consistently pressured the government to improve. However, their concerns have been largely ignored by the militarised national COVID-19 task force.

    It has been more than one year since the first COVID-19 outbreak and the Philippine government’s pandemic response remains short-sighted and militarised. Paradoxically, this failure is triggering the emergence of new community-driven, “self-help” strategies toward surviving the pandemic underpinned by belief that people cannot rely on help from the government and therefore must weather this crisis on their own. These community-driven initiatives can potentially strengthen civic society and repair societal damages caused by the Duterte administration in the long-run, but also divert attention from the need to improve national pandemic responses.

    While differing greatly in political and socio-cultural systems, democracy activists and human rights defenders in both countries have been met by pandemic-intensified state repression. In the Philippines, the government passed the Anti-Terrorism Act in June 2020 while lockdowns were in effect. Despite the UN’s global call for a ceasefire in support for the bigger battle against COVID-19, the Philippine State under Duterte intensified its counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. Red-tagging refers to the labelling of left-leaning individuals and groups as communists and therefore terrorists. The targets of red-tagging, following the same trajectory of the drug war, have broadened beyond the usual suspects of Communists and New People’s Army (NPA) members. In practice, it has expanded to individuals who hold critical views of the Duterte administration. Journalists and academics are also targeted by the government based on unfounded accusations that they are indoctrinating students with leftist ideology and recruiting Communists.

    The Philippine case offers an important parallel to understanding ongoing obstacles that democracy activists are facing in Thailand. Since the height of large-scale demonstrations in 2020, pro-democracy movements have been met with increasingly repressive measures, particularly legal prosecution and violent crackdowns, which deliberately instil fear and stifle further activities. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, an organisation that has provided legal assistance to activists arrested and prosecuted since the May 2014 coup, observed that from the Free Youth protest on 18 July 2020 until the end of May 2021, at least 679 people have been prosecuted for political gatherings and expression. The prosecution of prominent protest leaders and those expressing dissent online is detrimental to both civil society and freedom of expression. In addition to ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks, the combination of these factors puts limits on the possibility of nationwide protests. However, citizens’ grievances towards the government’s haphazard COVID-19 vaccine rollout have revealed the incompetence of the current regime and created a new kind of discontent and opportunities for uniting a broad base of citizens. It therefore remains to be seen whether pro-democracy movements will strengthen after the pandemic is under control again.

    Strengthening Civil Society Post-Pandemic

    There are important recommendations for policymakers and civil society partners that can be drawn from this research. Comparing Thailand and the Philippines, we find that creating spaces for civil society should be integral to post-pandemic recovery and reconstruction plans. It is clear how the pandemic responses may play into the hands of state violence and repression regardless of whether the response has been effective or limited in managing the spread of the virus.

    Consequently, international partners such as Australian decision-makers and transnational advocacy networks should support domestic human rights and democracy activists in advocating for governments to clearly define and assess the temporary enforcement of emergency powers. In addition, regional and international stakeholders can play an integral role in providing support for local organisations and activists to document human rights violations and abuses of power that have occurred in Southeast Asia. In doing so, both international partners and domestic counterparts can place state accountability and long-term prevention of violence as central to post-pandemic recovery plans.

    The post Protests and Pandemics: Civil Society Mobilisation in Thailand and the Philippines appeared first on New Mandala.

    This post was originally published on New Mandala.

  • Fiji student son tells of his pregnant nurse mum’s losing struggle with covid

    By Josefa Babitu in Suva

    The dream of putting a smile on his mother’s face on his graduation day from university has become one that will never happen for Gabriel Gade, after his mother succumbed to the coronavirus that has killed dozens of people in Fiji.

    “My ultimate dream was to make her proud of all her sacrifices, battles in life and the love she gave me over the last 21 years of my life,” he shared with Asia Pacific Report.

    “My mother had to work all the time to pay off the mortgage, and I could tell that she was exhausted most of the time, but I think it was her love for her children that kept her going every day.

    His mother, Suliana Bulavakarua, worked as a registered nurse at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH), the largest healthcare facility in the country, where his family believes she contracted the virus while pregnant.

    After she tested positive for covid-19 on July 16, she was transported to the Covid-care facility in Suva, leaving behind Gade and his sister at home as their father was working outside of the mainland.

    Her children also tested positive for the virus but have recovered. Gade was vaccinated with the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine while his mother was awaiting the Moderna vaccine that was to be administered to pregnant women.

    Her daughter was not eligible for the vaccine as she was under the age of 18.

    Her condition worsened
    Her condition got worse on July 18 and was advised by attending physicians to deliver her baby by caesarean section.

    The 44-year-old gave life to a baby girl but the battle with covid-19 was so intense that it soon ended her life.

    “It was late at night on Wednesday [July 21] when my phone rang and I did not answer because it was a new number and it was late as well. However, little did I know the hospital was calling me to inform us of our mother’s passing,” says Gade.

    Suliana Bulavakarua and family
    Gabriel Gade with his mother, Suliana Bulavakarua, and sister at the time of his 21st birthday last year. Image: Wansolwara

    “A team from the hospital knocked on our doors on Thursday morning and relayed the news that broke my sister and I into tears. The world suddenly stopped as I lost the one person I owe everything to.

    “My mind ran wild but hours later I had to compose myself for my family, especially my sisters who will now grow up without a mother.

    The Lau native said the teachings of his mother was something he would hold dear to his heart and would use in the upbringing of his sisters.

    “My mother taught me to be generous, loving and to care for people that needed my help.

    “I remember a night where I would do my assignments on my study table in our living room and during her days off she would sit on the couch and then she would try and make small talk.

    “My mom and I had this relationship where she would always be pressed to do things like for me to graduate. My mom was always supportive of my endeavours.

    “I love you so much mom.”

    The “fallen hero” is survived by her husband and three children.

    Healthcare workers remember fallen hero
    The loss of Bulavakarua was not only for the family but for healthcare workers around the country as they took to social media to express their feelings.

    A nurse posted on Facebook that Bulavakarua was the talk of the operation room at the hospital she worked in as they all reminisced her dedication to saving lives in the country.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong, in a televised address, announced the passing of the healthcare worker and said she was one of the many who risked their lives to save people from the deadly delta variant of the virus.

    “This current crisis is demonstrating the essential, tireless, innovative and too-often undervalued role of health workers and our frontline colleagues in ensuring strong, resilient health systems for everyone, everywhere,” he said.

    “They work long hours, sacrifice time with their families, and endure the stresses that this pandemic places upon them as individuals, professionals, and upon the entire health system.

    “Delivering health services in an environment of constraint resources will often mean providing access to life saving care at the expense of comfort.

    Meanwhile, healthcare workers are currently looking after 17,937 people living with the deadly virus in the nation where 195 people have died.

    Fiji’s covid-19 case count stands at 24,424 since March 2020 with 6191 recoveries.

    Josefa Babitu is a final-year student journalist at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He is also the current student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publication. He is a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Ocasio-Cortez Slams Biden Admin’s “Reckless” Decision on CDC Eviction Moratorium

    Community members, activists and politicians all came out to support reform in housing in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, on June 30, 2021.

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among several critics on Friday who warned that the Biden administration’s plan to allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium to expire on July 31 would have devastating consequences for millions of renters as well as threatening public health as Covid-19 cases surge.

    President Joe Biden extended the moratorium by one month in June but has shown no signs that he plans to do the same this month.

    According to U.S. Treasury Department data, dozens of jurisdictions across the country have yet to start distributing assistance funds for renters that were appropriated in March as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

    “It is reckless not to extend the deadline when rental assistance funds have not gone out fast enough to protect people,” said Ocasio-Cortez on Friday. “Eviction filings have already spiked in anticipation of the deadline being lifted.”

    According to analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released this week, 11.4 million renters — or one in seven — are behind on rent payments. Advocates say about six million are at risk of promptly losing their homes if the eviction moratorium is not extended at the end of July.

    According to Paul Williams, a fellow at the Jain Family Institute, about 80% of those six million people “live in counties with rapid, Delta variant-driven [Covid-1] case growth.”

    Though the Biden administration has not signaled that it plans to extend aid for renters, the White House on Friday announced it will allow homeowners with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages to delay their payments until September, a measure that will help 1.8 million people in forbearance.

    Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, called on Biden to provide more assistance to renters as well.

    “The CDC eviction moratorium is a necessary public health measure to lessen spread of [and] deaths from Covid-19,” Yentel said. “The need clearly remains as Delta surges.”

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Delta variant taking hold of Papuan region amid Indonesian covid crisis

    By Agustinus Beo Da Costa

    Hospitals in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua are nearing full capacity amid a surge in covid-19 cases, with health officials bracing for the full impact of the virulent Delta variant.

    The bed occupancy rate at some hospitals in Papua province had reached 100 percent, with emergency units and tents being used to treat covid-19 patients, Dr Aaron Rumainum, head of the Papua health agency’s disease control and prevention unit, said.

    “We have the same problem as Java. Isolation rooms are full and there is a lack of oxygen,” he said, adding that the delta variant, first identified in India, had now been detected in the province.

    Indonesia is in the throes of a raging coronavirus epidemic, with shortages of hospital beds and oxygen reported across the capital Jakarta, and other parts of densely populated Java island – a situation now fanning out to less developed regions.

    Across Papua province the bed occupancy rate was about 57 percent but in the provincial capital of Jayapura it was more than 96 percent, said Silwanus Sumule, Covid-19 taskforce spokesperson and deputy director of the Jayapura General Hospital (RSUD).

    There were currently 47 people waiting in the corridors, unable to get a room, he said.

    “Maybe 47 isn’t a lot in places like Java, but it’s really big here,” he said. “We’ve never experienced this before, placing patients in corridors like that.”

    Poorly equipped health facilities
    Indonesia’s Papuan region, divided into the two provinces of West Papua and Papua, has poorly equipped health facilities and low vaccination rates, leaving it dangerously exposed to the virus.

    “Before covid, there was already endemic disease in Papua that was not well handled, such as malaria and tuberculosis, let alone this emergency situation,” said Adriana Elisabeth, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) who researches Papua.

    “If the government does not restrict mobility, the healthcare system will certainly collapse.”

    Earlier this week, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe said he was considering blocking access in and out of the province to curb the spread of covid-19, according to media reports.

    Based on data from Indonesia’s Health Ministry, Papua has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with less than 6 percent of people fully vaccinated, while positivity rates have surpassed 31 per cent.

    Activists say vaccination levels have remained stubbornly low in part because some indigenous Papuans distrust the central government, while nurses in the region say disinformation about the pandemic is rampant.

    Complex health response
    Adding to the complexity of a health response, a low-level insurgency for Papuan independence has simmered for decades and many may be wary of cooperating with authorities particularly if security forces are involved.

    Indonesia has reported more than 2.9 million coronavirus cases and 77,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, with an accelerating caseload and high death rate making the country the current epicentre of Asia’s outbreak.

    Public health experts say the true number of infections is likely several times higher.

    Indonesia’s death rate from covid-19 was more than three times the global rate as of July 20, based on Our World in Data figures.

    Agustinus Beo Da Costa is an AAP reporter.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • 102-year-old woman among 15 latest Fiji covid deaths – 918 new cases

    RNZ Pacific

    Fifteen more deaths, including that of a 102-year-old woman, and 918 positive cases have been confirmed by Fijian health officials in the 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

    That compares to 1091 infections and 21 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

    The government also confirmed the latest deaths included those previously listed as under investigation to determine the cause.

    All but three of the victims were unvaccinated against covid-19, Health Secretary Dr James Fong said last night.

    He said the majority of the patients died at home, while there were others who had not received at least one dose of the vaccine.

    Fiji now has 16,403 active cases in isolation, with 161 deaths – 159 of them from this latest outbreak that began in April.

    • A 75-year-old woman from the capital Suva died at home on 21 July.
    • A 49-year-old man from Nadera in Nasinu died at home on 20 July.
    • An 83-year-old man from Tovata, Nasinu, also died at home on 20 July.
    • A 44-year-old man from Cunningham presented to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in severe respiratory distress on 22 July. He died on the same day in hospital.
    • A 60-year-old man from Narere, Nasinu, died at home on 21 July. He had received the first dose of the vaccine in early-July.
    • A 63-year-old man from Nabua died at home on 20 July. He received the first dose of the vaccine in mid-June.
    • A 68-year-old man from Nadera died at home on 19 July. He had received the first dose of the vaccine in late June.
    • A 63-year-old man from Waimanu Road in Suva died at home on 20 July.
    • An 84-year-old man from Kalekana in Lami died at home on 20 July.
    • A 53-year-old man from Toorak, Suva, died at home on 20 July.
    • A 63-year-old woman from Vatuwaqa, Suva, died at home on 20 July.
    • A 56-year-old man from Makoi, Nasinu, died at home on 20 July.
    • A 72-year-old woman from Narere presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress on 21 July. She died on the same day at the hospital.
    • A 102-year-old woman from Cunningham died at home on 20 July.
    • An 80-year-old man from Cautata Village in Tailevu Province died at home on 21 July.
    Dr James Fong
    Fiji’s Health Secretary Dr James Fong … seven more deaths of covid-19 positive patients, but not classified as covid deaths. Image: Facebook/Fiji govt seven more deaths of Covid-19 positive patients.

    Dr Fong said there had been seven more deaths of covid-19 positive patients.

    But he said these deaths had been classified as not caused by the virus.

    “Doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not covid-19,” he said.

    “We also have recorded 68 covid-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted covid; these are not classified as covid-19 deaths.

    “There have been 179 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 16,403 active cases. There have been 21,291 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 21,361 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 4729 recoveries.”

    Dr Fong said one death was under investigation to determine the cause.

    Here are some statistics

    • 918 new cases as of 8am, July 22
    • 15 deaths recorded from July 19-21
    • 1 death under investigation
    • 161 deaths recorded, 159 of these recorded during the outbreak that started in April this year
    • 68 positive patients died from serious medical conditions they had before they contracted the virus (these are not classified as covid-19 deaths)
    • 179 new recoveries reported since the last update
    • 16,403 active cases
    • 21,291 cases recorded during the outbreak that started in April 2021
    • 21,361 cases in total recorded in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 4729 recoveries.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Fiji medics save newborn babies – mothers among 21 new covid deaths

    By Timoci Vula in Suva

    Two Fijian pregnant women are among the 21 covid-19 deaths reported within a seven-day period from July 14.

    Their babies, however, were saved via a caesarean operation by the obstetric team.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed this in his covid-19 live update last evening as he announced the country’s 1091 positive cases recorded in the last 24 hours that ended at 8am yesterday.

    He said the 21 covid-19 deaths were recorded from July 14-20.

    He said both mothers had been unwell with covid symptoms at home before presenting to health facilities in severe respiratory distress.

    “In both cases, our physicians made the decision to conduct emergency caesarean operations to rescue the new-borns and assist with the care of the mothers,” Dr Fong said.

    “Sadly, despite the best efforts of their attending physicians, both mothers passed away.”

    Deaths a tragedy
    Dr Fong said maternal deaths at any time were a tragedy and maternal deaths due to covid-19 were a clear indication of the severity of this outbreak.

    He said the present outbreak was contained to Viti Levu, and primarily in the Lami-Suva-Nausori corridor.

    And over the last week, he added that an increasing number of cases had been reported in the Western Division.

    Dr Fong also announced 317 new recoveries with more than 4550 total recoveries from the virus.

    “Recovery is possible. In fact, most patients will recover.

    “The sooner those most at-risk are identified and treated, the more likely they will be to recover as well. Many of those recoveries will continue to come out of our field hospitals,” he said.

    Timoci Vula is a Fiji Times reporter. This article is republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji’s covid horror is too late to fix, yet still our leaders stay silent

    COMMENT: By Professor Biman Prasad

    Pictures and videos emerging about the shocking and deplorable conditions for covid-isolated patients in Fiji hospitals are no surprise. Nor should they be.

    They are a direct consequence of the Bainimarama government’s failure to lead, failure to plan – and worst of all, failure to care.

    Two months ago Ministry of Health officials publicly warned us about the dangers of our health system breaking down under the weight of covid numbers.

    The government refused to listen to advice. It arrogantly refused to lock down.

    And now this disaster is upon us.

    There is a video circulating about a dead patient being left in a temporary hospital ward for hours. Everyone knows a story about ambulances being called which never turn up.

    We hear about a case where a person’s body stayed in a car for five hours in the hospital car park because no one had time or resources to help.

    We were warned – by our own officials
    Tragically, people affected by non-covid conditions are now dying because they cannot get into hospitals for care.

    These were all things we were warned about, by our own health officials.

    Up to now the bulk of our cases has been in the Central Division, which is serviced by the best hospitals. As the disease spreads around Viti Levu, the situation will get much worse.

    This damage is now too late to fix. These desperate stories will continue.

    We all know that deaths from this outbreak will be measured in the hundreds, and the horror of this is just beginning.

    And yet, our leaders are silent. They offer no support, no information. They do not want to talk about this crisis because they have difficult questions to answer about their utter failure to lead.

    Do your best to protect yourselves
    Where were they when their own officials were warning them?

    And where are they now?

    We plead with people to do their best to protect themselves.

    Wear masks, follow the physical distancing rules. Please get vaccinated, if not for yourself for the health and safety of your nearest and dearest around you.

    We have a government that cannot lead and which is too ashamed and cowardly to lead.

    It is now up to each of us to look after and care for each other until we rid ourselves of this failed leadership in the next elections.

    Professor Biman Prasad is the leader of Fiji’s National Federation Party.

    • RNZ Pacific reports that Fiji has recorded 1054 new cases of covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8am yesterday. That compares to 784 cases and 15 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.
    • The government also confirmed 12 more deaths between 13 and 19 July, taking the death toll to 125 with 123 of these from the latest outbreak that began in April.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Indonesia’s open-door lockdown

    Four years ago Oxfam published research showing the four richest men in Indonesia own as much wealth as the country’s poorest 100 million citizens.

    The statistic is so disturbing it had to be rechecked, particularly as President Joko Widodo continually claims he’s fighting inequality. But so far there’s been no credible challenge to the development charity’s calculations.

    Also, no show of government resolve to tackle a divide so wide reduction seems impossible without determined leadership backed by a surge of altruism from the oligarchy. Right now this looks unlikely.

    The situation has worsened since the pandemic hit last year. The Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS – Central Statistics Agency) latest release shows almost ten million unemployed. Uncounted are the millions of casuals and self-employed sole traders whose takings have been slashed by the plague.

    “Indonesia could become the epicentre of the pandemic, but it’s already the epicentre of Asia,” said Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University. He’s been predicting numbers will double in the next few weeks.

    “If you look at the population difference between India and Indonesia…then the pandemic is far more serious than in India.”

    The top end of town also reports tumbling takings. Last year Southeast Asia’s biggest economy was thumped by its first recession since the 1998 Asian financial crisis; 2021 first-quarter data from the BPS confirms the downhill trend.

    Related

    Frontline women: unrecognised leadership in Indonesia’s COVID-19 response

    Incorporating women’s experiences and skills would improve pandemic responses.

    Rebecca Meckelburg 05 July, 2021

    After flip-flopping on saving commerce or citizens, Widodo ordered a 17-day lockdown across Java and Bali ending on 20 July. This may be extended to 3 August. Implementation has been hit and miss—mostly the latter.

    Sutiaji, the Mayor of Malang in East Java, told local media he won’t follow the president’s edict, though more than 300 cases were found in his city on one day last week. There are testing stations, but the fee of Rp 200,000, the equivalent of two days work for a casual labourer and three for a household maid, is a hefty deterrent, corrupting official figures.

    Immunisation is patchy with clinics mainly using the Chinese Sinovac, plus some Astra Zeneca.  Reuters reports about ten per cent of the population (273 million) has had two jabs.

    In the absence of any peer-reviewed academic surveys on the effectiveness of the lockdown, personal observations will have to suffice. The snapshots come from Malang, population 900,000, the second biggest metropolis in the province. All are first hand.

    A dozen black-uniformed satpol (unarmed local government security) arrived at a packed street produce market at 6 am after it had been running for an hour, ordering around 100 vendors to gather their wares and go.

    They shouted back that if they couldn’t sell they’d starve. The outnumbered and sympathetic satpol gave up, not even bothering to warn scores of unmasked customers to cover up as mandated or enforce social distancing.

    Eateries are take-away only, unless diners say they’re weary. Then a back room can be found for sit-down meals. One warung (permanent food stall) at the entrance to a central city gang (lane) doesn’t even bother with subterfuge. Customers use tables in clear view of pedestrians, though not patrol cars, so no worries

    Virtue signalling is rampant. A story of a transport business helping people in isolation was dominated by photos of the company’s bus fleet and staff. Others are using the same tactic to get their logos on the news pages.

    Hawkers bike around the suburbs flogging foods and household knick-knacks though other goods are on offer. Buyers are cautious, slowing the hand-to-mouth pedlars’ cash flows to a trickle.

    Sutedjo, 55, offers gemstones set in clunky rings much admired by men with big egos and little else. He pushes his last century cycle around the nooks and crannies of the ancient hilltown, accompanied by his wife Kartini, 43, and two of their three children, surviving on handouts. “Before Covid 19 I could sell five rings a day,” he said. “Now I’d be lucky to sell one. Few have money.”

    The family is untroubled by police who are rarely seen. Kartini said she and her husband are too frightened to be immunised and claim no one has tried to persuade them that the disease is serious and protection free. Government advertising has generals and politicians in uniforms sagging with medals above captions urging the populace to stay indoors. Some do—most don’t.

    The posters also urge people to exercise—impossible in tiny rooms in cramped houses. The few public parks have been closed, but those determined to follow the recommendation and shake their limbs have pulled down fences. The gaps remain.

    Sellers of jamu (traditional herbal potions) are among the few street criers doing good business having expanded their cure-alls from colds to COVID.

    Orders to shut mosques and churches lasted but a day before pressure from clerics forced the government to reverse its decision.

    Kartini said her family hadn’t received any aid from their mosque or the government and couldn’t explain why. Her response would puzzle individualist Australians used to a welfare system where the needy expect state support and are quick to assert their rights.

    Traditional Javanese believe life is predestined, so what’s the point of trying to make a difference?   Muhammadiyah University psychology lecturers Diah Karmiyati and Sofa Amalia have written of the principle of nrima (acceptance of the existing situation). These values make it easier for authorities to do what they like—and that includes politicians.

    Jakarta trumpets that its Program Sembako (essential foods) project—which includes a cash payment of Rp 200,000 a month (AUD 18.50)—has reached about 20 million households. Not all parcels have arrived intact.

    Late last year social affairs minister Juliari Batubara was charged by the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission) with taking bribes totalling Rp 14.5 billion (AUD 1.4 million). The KPK reported Batubara and two others took a ‘commission’ of Rp 10,000 from suppliers for each Rp 300,000 sembako pack destined for the needy.

    Along with the ineffectual lockdown the widely reported graft has fomented outrage and eroded trust in the government’s ability to handle the pandemic and keep its people safe.

    Psychologist and civil rights activist Alissa Wahid, eldest daughter of Indonesia’s fourth president Abdurrahman Wahid, aka Gus Dur, has been running an online petition urging leaders to lift their game. Her slogan: “Without integrity, no one listens; without trust, no one follows.”

    The post Indonesia’s open-door lockdown appeared first on New Mandala.

    This post was originally published on New Mandala.

  • Wenda appeals to NZ, West to supply covid vaccines direct to Papuans

    Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

    A pro-independence movement in West Papua has appealed to several Western countries — including New Zealand — to provide urgent humanitarian help by supplying covid vaccines directly to the Papuans to cope with the “double crisis” in the Indonesian-ruled region.

    Benny Wenda, interim president of the Provisional Government of West Papua, said today he had made the appeal by writing to the foreign ministers of Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

    “I have also written to the President of the European Commission, the WHO [World Health Organisation] and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the escalating covid-19 situation in our land,” he said in a statement.

    “This new crisis is a further existential threat to my people.”

    Indonesia had caused a double crisis for the people of West Papua by launching military operations in the middle of the pandemic, Wenda said, as he had warned.

    “Just yesterday, villagers from the West Moskona district were attacked by troops after attending a peaceful worship session against ‘Special Autonomy’, fleeing to the forests and the city of Bintuni,” he said.

    “Woman and children are afraid to return to their villages in case the military and police arrest or attack them.”

    50,000 plus displaced
    “More than 50,000 people have been displaced in Nduga, Puncak and Intan Jaya over the past two and a half years. Their homes have been destroyed, their churches burned and their schools occupied by soldiers.

    “They are left in internal displacement camps, where the virus will spread rapidly. Already in the cities, patients are being turned away or treated in cars outside the hospital.”

    Western countries and the WHO had an urgent moral obligation to give vaccine doses direct the local Papuan government for distribution, Wenda said.

    “As the 2018 Asmat health crisis showed, Jakarta cannot be trusted with the health of the West Papuan people,” he said.

    “Over nearly 60 years of colonisation we have seen a chronic failure to develop health facilities in West Papua, leaving us dying on top of the natural riches Indonesia is extracting. If Jakarta is allowed to hold the reigns of vaccine development, my people will suffer further.”

    Wenda said the developments were part of a “continued genocide against my people”.

    “Our forests have been torn down, our mountains decapitated, our way of life destroyed. Indonesia restricts healthcare and enforces a colonial education whilst killing anyone who speaks out for self-determination,” Wenda said.

    “Launching military operations in the middle of a pandemic is a policy designed to further wipe out our population. We need urgent international assistance, direct to the local Papuan government, not through the colonial occupier.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Kaum perempuan di garis depan: Peran kepemimpinan yang tak dihitung dalam penanganan COVID-19

    Respon pemerintah daerah dan masyarakat sipil terhadap pandemi Covid-19 di Indonesia telah banyak dipuji dalam media akademis dan populer sejak kasus pertama Covid-19 dikonfirmasi Maret 2020. Mitigasi lokal dan respon kesehatan telah terbukti menjadi faktor kritikal ketika pemerintah pusat telah gagal dalam banyak aspek penanganan pandemi. Namun apa yang tidak ditunjukkan oleh kajian-kajian awal adalah peran yang dimainkan kaum perempuan dalam memimpin tanggapan lokal ini. Kajian baru saya mengungkap kesenjangan antara keterwakilan tinggi kaum laki-laki dalam kepemimpinan formal dan badan pengambilan keputusan tanggap COVID-19 di satu sisi, dan dominasi perempuan yang luar biasa dalam kepemimpinan sehari-hari baik dalam mitigasi maupun perawatan kesehatan. Meskipun saya hanya berfokus pada satu kota di Jawa Tengah, kita dapat berasumsi bahwa fenomena ini juga terjadi di bagian lain Indonesia dan di banyak bagian dunia.

    Hasil penelitian yang diterbitkan dalam laporan baru saya, menjelaskan kenapa keterwakilan perempuan dalam struktur satuan tugas (Satgas) Covid-19 sangat minimal, sementara di sisi lain mereka mendominasi peran garis depan baik tanggap darurat maupun penanganan pandemi jangka panjang. Pada bulan Januari dan Februari 2021 saya melakukan penelitian lapangan dengan seorang mahasiswa paska sarjana di kota Salatiga, Jawa Tengah. Kami mengumpulkan data tentang peran kepemimpinan Aparat Sipil Negara perempuan dalam penanganan pandemi. Dalam kajian ini saya memperluas penelitian saya sebelumnya tentang respon pandemi di tingkat lokal, dengan menerapkan lensa gender untuk memeriksa mengapa pejabat dan petugas kesehatan perempuan, yang memiliki peran dan tanggung jawab terbatas pada Satgas Covid-19 kota dan kecamatan, dalam prakteknya telah menjalankan peran kritikal dalam memimpin strategi mitigasi di kedua tingkat tersebut.

    Tembol dibawa untuk mengunduh dokumen arahan kebijakan seluruhnya.

    Kegagalan struktur satuan tugas COVID-19 di tingkat lokal

    Peraturan nasional menyatakan bahwa kebijakan pengarusutamaan gender harus diintegrasikan dalam rencana tanggap darurat dan bencana baik di tingkat nasional maupun di bawahnya. Kenyataannya, keterwakilan kaum perempuan di Satgas Nasional hanya 7%, serta 12% untuk Satgas Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Sejak bulan Februari 2020, pembuatan kebijakan penanganan pandemi tingkat nasional sama sekali tidak membuat ketentuan terkait dengan gender. Dalam komposisi pegawai pemerintahan Kota Salatiga, tingkat perimbangan keterwakilan secara gender lebih tinggi dari rata-rata nasional, namun perempuan yang menduduki jabatan eselon tinggi masih sangat sedikit. Kesenjangan ini, pada gilirannya memberikan dampak langsung pada penyusunan anggota Satgas COVID-19 Kota Salatiga, dimana posisi-posisi di dalamnya dialokasikan atas dasar jabatan struktural dalam pemerintahan, tanpa mempunyai rujukan khusus pada gender.

    Dalam struktur anggota Satgas yang disusun bulan Okober 2020, partisipasi perempuan hanya 17% dari sebuah tim beranggotakan 12 orang. Kepala-kepala instansi pemerintah yang strategis, Kepolisian Resor (Polres), Komando Resor Militer (Korem), Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja (Satpol PP), Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (Bappeda) dan kantor Kesatuan Bangsa dan Politik (Kesbangpol), secara otomatis ditunjuk untuk masuk dalam struktur Satgas, dan semua posisi ini dijabat oleh laki-laki. Meskipun melanggar prinsip pengarusutamaan gender, gambaran lokal dari Kota Salatiga ini adalah keadaan tipikal di seluruh Indonesia baik di wilayah jabatan publik yang diduduki lewat pemilihan maupun karir kepegawaian, dengan laki-laki adalah mayoritas pemegang jabatan eselon tinggi.

    Rapid Test facility at Pasar Senen Station. Image credit: Gaudi Renanda in Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

    Satgas COVID-19 Kota Salatiga bertanggung jawab dalam hal kebijakan dan perencanaan strategis mitigasi pandemi, koordinasi lintas instansi, pemantauan dan penegakan langkah-langkah mitigasi, alokasi anggaran dan sumber daya lainnya. Terlepas dari peran kepemimpinan yang tersemat pada lembaga yang didominasi laki-laki ini, dalam prakteknya kaum perempuanlah yang secara prinsip telah memimpin tindakan mitigasi dan penanganan kesehatan. Para perempuan ini telah berinisiatif maju untuk mengisi celah-celah kekosongan dalam kepemimpinan formal respon pandemi COVID-19, yang tidak responsif.

    Peran kepemimpinan perempuan dalam pandemi

    Kontras dibanding struktur Satgas COVID-19 tingkat kota, Dinas Kesehatan Kota Salatiga memiliki proporsi perempuan yang jauh lebih tinggi baik dalam peran kepemimpinan maupun tenaga kesehatan lapangan, dimana kaum perempuan mencakup 80% dari seluruh pegawainya. Di tingkat komunitas, kerja-kerja penangangan COVID-19 lebih lagi didominasi oleh kaum perempuan. Kepala dari enam Puskesmas di Kota Salatiga semua adalah perempuan, dengan 90% tenaga kerja adalah perempuan.

    Secara praktis, aspek penanganan pandemi ini tak hanya pelayanan kesehatan, namun juga meliputi wilayah-wilayah kritikal lain terkait mitigasi penyakit menular, yang dipimpin oleh kaum perempuan dari Dinas Kesehatan, Puskesmas dan dari pusat perawatan di rumah sakit daerah dan rumah sakit lain di Salatiga. Kelemahan utama penanganan pandemi yang telah diidentifikasi oleh semua responden dalam wawancara adalah kegagalan Satgas untuk memberikan kepemimpinan dan arah. Seorang pejabat Dinas Kesehatan menyampaikan bahwa meskipun terdapat instansi-instansi pemerintah yang mempunyai tanggung jawab sendiri-sendiri dalam Satgas, dalam prakteknya, mereka selalu lari ke Dinas Kesehatan untuk mendapatkan pemecahan masalah.

    Perempuan yang memimpin di pusat kesehatan kota dan kecamatan berpendapat bahwa penguatan peran Satgas tingkat kota sangat perlu, untuk: secara efektif melakukan pengawasan dan penilaian pelaksanaan kebijakan di lapangan, serta mensupervisi komunikasi publik yang efektif, termasuk mengkomunikasikan kebijakan mitigasi, sehingga layanan kesehatan dapat memprioritaskan diri pada pendalaman pengetahuan mengenai berbagai ilmu terkait COVID-19 yang berkembang sangat cepat dan dinamis, serta ilmu penanganan pandemi.

    Sebuah spanduk yang menyampaikan strategi mitigasi untuk COVID-19. Dipotret oleh penulis.

    Laporan saya menunjukkan bahwa ada empat institusi yang sangat penting dalam pelayanan kesehatan garis depan; Dinas Kesehatan, Puskesmas, rumah sakit daerah dan fasilitas isolasi khusus. Dua lembaga yang disebut pertama juga punya peranan vital dalam pelaksanaan mitigasi. Dan Puskesmas adalah tulang punggung dari strategi mitigasi dan perawatan kesehatan sebagai garis depan pelaksanaan pengetesan, penelusuran dan dukungan pada mereka yang terinfeksi COVID-19.

    Respon-respon strategis dari layanan kesehatan ini inovatif; secara cepat melakukan reorganisasi tenaga kesehatan dan penyesuaian tugas-tugas. Terdapat dua tim; yang didedikasikan untuk penanganan COVID-19, dan tim yang memastikan layanan kesehatan umum tetap berjalan.

    Di tingkat masyarakat, kepala Puskesmas memprakarsai komunikasi lintas sektor antar pemangku kepentingan di wilayah kecamatan (pemerintah kecamatan, satuan polisi dan tentara setempat, serta aparat kelurahan), serta melakukan koordinasi antar elemen masyarakat, organisasi sipil, kelompok agama dan pemerintah kecamatan.

    Beban kerja pandemi bagi perempuan

    Kegagalan kebijakan nasional penanganan pandemi COVID-19 di Indonesia dan banyak negara lain telah meningkatkan beban kerja dari tenaga kerja kesehatan perempuan, baik beban kerja yang dibayar maupun tidak. Sebagian besar tenaga kesehatan perempuan bahkan tidak diperhitungkan, apalagi dianggap penting dalam penyusunan kebijakan publik, baik dalam hal biaya yang dialokasikan pada sektor kesehatan khususnya maupun untuk sektor-sektor sosial secara lebih umum – yang keduanya didominasi perempuan, juga dalam hal manfaat-manfaat yang diberikan kaum perempuan dalam sektor kerja pelayanan dan reproduksi sosial. Akibatnya, penangan pandemi menjadi lebih rumit dengan beban kerja yang lebih tinggi bagi perempuan di garis depan. Apalagi, tak ada tambahan sumber daya manusia, sementara perempuan-perempuan ini juga harus lebih intensif menangani implikasi pandemi dalam peran domestiknya.

    Pekerja laboratori di pabrik BioFarma, Bandung, sedang memeriksa vial vaksin (bukan vaksin COVID-19). Image credit: Ümit Kartoğlu for VOA on Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

    Penting sekali untuk dicatat bahwa para perempuan ini telah mengembangkan pengetahuan secara signifikan melalui pengalaman mereka menangani pandemi. Mereka paham betul apa itu pandemi COVID-19 dan tahu langkah-langkah penanganan seperti apa yang bisa berjalan untuk mitigasi krisis – dan mana yang tidak. Namun terbatasnya keterlibatan perempuan dalam struktur formal yang memiliki kewenangan membuat kebijakan, telah membatasi ruang perempuan baik untuk mengkritik maupun untuk mengarahkan pembuatan kebijakan politis mengenai prioritas-prioritas dalam penanganan COVID-19.

    Kontribusi perempuan pada kepemimpinan pandemi

    Akademisi dan pegiat advokasi telah mendorong untuk dibukanya ruang partisipasi perempuan dalam penyusunan rancangan, pelaksanaan dan pengawasan aturan serta kebijakan terkait penanganan COVID-19 di semua tingkat pembuatan keputusan di pemerintahan. Kajian saya menunjukkan bahwa partisipasi ini sangat perlu, tak hanya untuk memastikan bahwa kebutuhan khusus bagi perempuan selama pandemi bisa terakomodasi, lebih jauh lagi, untuk bisa mendayagunakan pengetahuan yang terus berkembang serta pengalaman-pengalaman dari para perempuan ini sebagai sumber penting dalam rangka menyusun strategi-strategi penanganan pandemi yang tepat.

    Manajer kesehatan dan tenaga kesehatan garis depan telah mengidentifikasi beberapa bidang yang memerlukan tindakan serius dan segera. Pertama, perlu ada koordinasi, kepemimpinan dan pelaksanaan tugas resmi yang lebih efektif di Satgas Kota. Kedua, peningkatan pemantauan dan penegakan protokol kesehatan di tempat kerja, ruang publik dan acara-acara umun yang disetujui, termasuk pernikahan, upacara dan di tempat-tempat yang memfasilitasi pertemuan publik. Ketiga, harus ada pemantauan dan penegakan aturan pembatasan pergerakan dan peraturan daerah tentang kuota work from home, pembatasan kapasitas di restoran, hotel dan tempat lainnya serta isolasi mandiri di rumah. Keempat, perlu memperbesar kemampuan penelusuran dan pengetesan, yang dicapai dengan menambah fasilitas fisik untuk mendukung pengetesan sebagai ujung tombak pemantauan epidemiologis yang baik terhadap tingkat persebaran virus. Pemantauan epidemiologi ini akan mendukung penyusunan arah kebijakan menuju penekanan pandemi COVID-19 secara lebih efektif.

    Puskesmas di Indonesia, yang sebagian besar dijalankan oleh perempuan, telah menjadi bagian kritikal dari infrastruktur untuk penanganan pandemi di Indonesia. Upaya menjalin hubungan secara intensif dengan masyarakat yang dilakukan petugas-petugas Puskesmas telah menghasilkan pemahaman yang lebih besar tentang apa itu COVID-19 di masyarakat setempat, mendorong koordinasi pemangku kepentingan lintas sektor jika memungkinkan, memberikan dukungan aktif untuk pasien positif, dan mengurangi stigmatisasi masyarakat. Sayangnya, peran kritikal serta pengetahuan dan pengalaman yang diperoleh kaum perempuan ini, belum diakui secara formal ataupun dijadikan sebagai sumber rujukan penting dalam perencanaan dan kepemimpinan pandemi jangka panjang. Pada akhirnya, kegagalan ini melemahkan kapasitas untuk memberikan respon menyeluruh yang terkoordinasi dengan baik terhadap pandemi COVID-19 di tingkat lokal, yang mengakibatkan tingginya tingkat penularan virus.

    Terakhir, peminggiran struktural terhadap perempuan dan kegagalan untuk mengakui pengalaman, pengetahuan dan kapasitas kepemimpinan mereka dalam penyusunan kebijakan pandemi serta pengalokasian sumber daya, secara efektif telah memperpanjang jangka waktu krisis multi dimensi yang diakibatkan oleh pandemi COVID-19.

    The post Kaum perempuan di garis depan: Peran kepemimpinan yang tak dihitung dalam penanganan COVID-19 appeared first on New Mandala.

    This post was originally published on New Mandala.

  • Covid-19 infections and deaths soar in Fiji – total now 80

    RNZ Pacific

    Fiji has recorded a daily record 1405 new cases of covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8am on Friday.

    That compares to 1220 cases and 10 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

    The government also confirmed six more deaths last night, taking the death toll to 80 – 78 of these from the latest outbreak that began in April.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong said all six patients were unvaccinated.

    “A 58-year old man from Tacirua presented to a medical facility on Wednesday with severe covid symptoms including shortness of breath. His condition worsened at the health centre and he died on the same day.

    “An 82-year-old man from Waila presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress. He was retrieved by a medical team to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.”

    Dr Fong said the man’s condition worsened at the CWM Hospital and he died two days after admission on July 12.

    Unwell with symptoms
    His family reported that he had been unwell with symptoms that included fever, and cough, Dr Fong said.

    “The third covid-19 death to report is a 34-year-old man from Koronivia also presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress on July 12. His condition worsened at the centre and he died on the same day.

    “A 68-year-old man from Valelevu presented to the CWM Hospital with covid symptoms on July 14. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on the same day he was admitted.

    “The fifth death is a 76-year-old woman from Narere who presented to a healthcare facility with severe covid symptoms including shortness of breath. She was retrieved by a medical team to CWM Hospital on July 12 where her condition worsened and she died on the same day.

    “A 92-year-old man from Ba was retrieved by a medical team from an isolation facility and transferred to Lautoka Hospital. His condition worsened in hospital and he died four days after being admitted on July 15.”

    Dr Fong said three other people, who tested positive to the virus, had died but their deaths have been classified as due to serious pre-existing medical conditions and not caused by covid-19.

    Fiji vaccinations
    Sixty six percent of the target population in Fiji have received at least one dose and 12.9 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide. Image: Fiji govt/RNZ

    More than 11,000 positive people in isolation
    Six other deaths are under investigation, he said.

    “We also recorded 34 ovid-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted the virus; these are not classified as Covid-19 deaths.

    “There have been 470 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 11,959 active cases. There have been 15,221 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021.

    “We have recorded a total of 15,291 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 3,218 recoveries.”

    Dr Fong said a total of 10,356 individuals were screened and 1893 swabbed at stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 312,572 individuals screened and 52,386 swabbed to date.

    “Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,197 individuals and swabbed 435 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 712,328 individuals screened and 60,855 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.”

    Dr Fong said a total of 216,869 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 259,734 tested since testing began in March 2020.

    “3678 tests have been reported for July 14. Testing number data for one lab is pending for July 13-14. Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3943 tests per day or 4.5 tests per 1000 population.

    “These numbers are expected to increase once all lab testing number data is received. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 19.2 percent and continues on an upward trend.”

    The World Health Organisation’s test positivity threshold is five percent.

    As of the 15 July, 384,480 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 75,448 have received their second doses, Dr Fong said.

    “This means that 66 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 12.9 percent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide.

    “Fijians can check the Ministry’s vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels.

    “The 7-day average of new cases per day is 824 cases per day or 932 cases per million population per day. Average daily case numbers are increasing, together with cases of severe disease and deaths.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • How Fiji’s Antonio escaped death from ‘normal flu’ that was actually covid-19

    By Josefa Babitu in Suva

    If it was not for his friend who broke into his home after he was gasping for air, Antonio Ratuvili would be among dozens of Fijians who have died from covid-19 this year.

    Ratuvili was “grey-faced spectra, gasping for every breath, and in a thoroughly confused state” on his deathbed when his friend found him.

    Within an hour he found himself in the “red zone” part of the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital in Fiji’s capital Suva.

    “As soon as I arrived, the staff gathered around me and, as they poked and prodded and adjusted my oxygen supply, they looked like curious, oversized insects in their masks and visors: bees, say, or ants,” he told Asia Pacific Report.

    “There was no exit, or at least anything that could be seen from where I was lying, no longer a larval mass — just an overweight, utterly extenuated human male.

    “Of course, I couldn’t see the entire room because, like Gulliver in Lilliput, I was pinned down by an elaborate system of tubes and wiring.”

    The battle depends solely on his immune system because he has not received his AstraZeneca vaccine that everybody in Fiji is entitled to.

    ‘Drips and bleeping instruments’
    “The ants (healthcare workers) might have abandoned me, but they had tethered my body to a variety of monitors and drips and bleeping instruments, and I was still being fed oxygen through a large, clear face mask – which suggested that, at some point, somebody would turn up, to do whatever remained to be done,” he said.

    “This all seemed to be happening in a makeshift theatre of managed chaos, like a scene from Casualty or an alien abduction movie. Then, just as suddenly, it was quiet.

    “I was alone and the sealed room was quiet. It was a veritable study in solipsism: I existed, I was sentient, but nothing else was certain.”

    The 25-year-old faith-based NGO worker battled covid-19 for 17 days together with 10,033 other patients in dedicated facilities around the nation.

    He was discharged from CWM hospital on Wednesday.

    “Today, I am still breathing, and with the right medication and support, I may continue to do so for some time. But I remember all too vividly the sensation of not being able to breathe. That sensation is as close as I have ever come to existential panic.

    “I survived by the grace of God.

    Greatest teaching
    He added the lesson learnt would be the greatest teaching he has ever had.

    Ratuvili said he got the virus because of his ignorance of the symptoms of the virus. He was under the assumption that he was having a somewhat “normal flu”.

    “This was my original mistake. Though it made sense from one angle, it was still an assumption, a self-fulfilling diagnosis based on a mix of anecdote and magical thinking.

    “Still, it seemed reasonable enough, at the time. I was fighting for breath, any physical activity was an effort, I had been suffering for weeks from a dry, nagging cough and, though these could have been symptoms of anything — from a common cold, to bronchitis, to the unforeseen combination of ‘co-morbidities’ that, over the next several days, almost killed me — I had resolved upon coronavirus.

    “Self-diagnosis, followed by self-medication. As with so many men my age, this seemed infinitely preferable to seeing a doctor.”

    Fiji fights delta variant
    Like New South Wales and Vioctoria in Australia, Fiji is fighting the delta variant of the virus that has caused the current outbreak since April 19 this year with 12,596 people having contracted the virus and 69 deaths in just less than four months.

    So far, only 2535 people have recovered.

    In a statement on Wednesday, Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed that national seven-day average daily test positivity was 18 percent and was continuing on an upward trend, ahead of the five percent threshold set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    By definition from the WHO, it means that the there is a widespread transmission in the country.

    “208,343 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 251,204 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3313 tests have been reported for July 12th,” he said.

    “Sadly, people with severe covid-19 are still dying at home or they are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness.

    “Severe covid-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.”

    Josefa Babitu is a final-year student journalist at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He is also the current student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publication. He is a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Covid delta strain reaches PNG via cargo ship from Indonesia

    By Godwin Eki in Port Moresby

    Papua New Guinea has been hit with a positive delta variant case of covid-19 for the first time, Deputy Pandemic Controller Dr Esorom Daoni has confirmed.

    Dr Daoni said the case was confirmed around 9am yesterday after lab results had been sent back to Port Moresby from Melbourne, Australia.

    A 65-year-old Filipino, captain of the cargo ship Grand Tajima, contracted the delta variant after leaving Indonesia for Papua New Guinea on June 26.

    “We are grateful that procedures were followed when the ship docked and we managed to keep all crew including the captain under quarantine and do testing. The result, a positive case of the delta variant,” Dr Daoni said.

    “We also got the rest of the crew to be tested for covid-19 and tested positive. Six people tested positive, including the captain, who is the only person to have tested positive to the delta variant,” Dr Daoni said.

    He said the man departed from the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, heading for PNG, and became unwell while at sea. The ship arrived in Port Moresby on July 7.

    “We are keeping everyone in isolation and closely monitoring them. The 65-year-old is currently at the Pacific International Hospital while the others who tested positive to covid-19 are also in isolation facilities,” said Dr Daoni.

    Dr Daoni said that out of the 14 crew members, 6 were positive cases, one of whom is the ship’s captain, who was the only one confirmed positive case with the delta variant, while the other 5 tested positive to covid-19 — two seriously ill.

    “We are now going to have to do what we can for the safety of the general public, and like we said throughout, citizens are encouraged to follow the covid-19 protocol,” he said.

    “We know the delta variant is a serious case and we must start to take extra precautions.

    As we know, the delta variant has really hit hard international countries where many have lost their lives. I am encouraging everyone to get their covid-19 shots and please look after yourselves,” said Dr Daoni.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji reports record 1220 cases in one day – covid death toll now 70

    By Josefa Babitu in Suva

    Fiji has recorded 1220 new cases of covid-19 as at 8am today — the highest daily record so far — and five more deaths.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the five people who had died from the virus were all aged over 60 and were not vaccinated.

    He said the first death was a 61-year-old woman from Kinoya who died at home after being sick with generalised body pain, weakness, and sore throat for 10 days.

    “The second covid-19 death to report is a 62-year-old man from Tacirua. He presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress,” Dr Fong said.

    He died in hospital on the same day (July 13). His family reported that he was unwell with fever, cough, and generalised weakness for three days prior,” he said.

    “The third covid-19 death to report is a 66-year-old woman from Nabua who died at home on July 13. Her family reported that she was feeling unwell with a cough and shortness of breath for 3 days.

    “The fourth covid-19 death to report is a 60-year-old woman from Verata who died at home on July 13.

    Fifth death
    “The fifth covid-19 death to report is a 78-year-old woman from Nauluvatu village. She was retrieved from home by a medical team and transferred to a healthcare facility. She was noted to be in severe respiratory distress. She died in the healthcare facility on the same day (July 13).”

    The total death count has increased from 69 to 74 since yesterday morning, however, there are eight deaths of covid-19 positive patients that are still under investigation to determine if they had died due to the virus or other medical problems.

    There are now 11,033 active cases of people who have been infected with covid-19, either at home or in dedicated facilities around Viti Levu.

    Fiji has recorded 13,816 cases of the virus during the outbreak that started in April this year.

    Dr Fong said people with severe covid-19 were dying at home or going to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness.

    “Severe covid-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease,” he said.

    With 213 people reported to have recovered from the virus, the ministry is more concerned that the daily test positivity rate continues on an upward trend.

    Positivity rate 18pc
    The country’s daily test positivity rate is at 18 percent — more than three times the World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold of five percent.

    This means that there is widespread transmission of the virus.

    “Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3772 tests per day or 4.3 tests per 1000 population. These numbers are expected to increase once all lab testing number data is received,” Dr Fong said.

    “As of July 14, 377,090 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 73,127 have received their second dose.”

    Fiji’s covid-19 case count stands at 13,886 since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 2,748 recoveries.

    Josefa Babitu is a final-year student journalist at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He is also the current student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publication. He is a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji reports 10 more covid deaths – Flying Fijians to wear vax slogan

    RNZ Pacific

    Fiji health authorities have reported an additional 10 deaths from covid-19 over the past week.

    In his daily statement on covid-19 cases, Health Secretary Dr James Fong said there were 634 new cases for the 24 hour period ending at 8am yesterday.

    All of the dead were aged from 42 to 90 and nine had not been vaccinated, with the 10th having had one dose of vaccine.

    Another two deaths of covid positive people are being investigated as they also had pre-existing medical conditions.

    There have now been 69 deaths in Fiji from covid 19, 67 of those since the latest outbreak began in April.

    Fiji now has 10,033 active cases.

    As of Tuesday the government reports that 370,219 people had received their first dose of vaccine and 70,917 had had both doses, meaning just over 12 percent of the population is fully innoculated.

    Dr Fong said people are still dying at home or coming into medical facilities in the late stage of severe illness, so reducing the chances of recovery.

    Fiji to wear vaccinate jersey
    The Fiji rugby team have agreed to wear jerseys supporting covid-19 vaccinations in this weekend’s second test against the All Blacks in Hamilton.

    In a statement, Fiji Rugby chief executive John O’Connor said that after “comprehensive and productive discussions” with the Flying Fijian players, the team has agreed to wear the playing jersey featuring the “Vaccinate Fiji” message.

    The team were supposed to wear jerseys with the words “Vaccinate Fiji” on the chest in last Saturday’s 57-23 loss to New Zealand in Dunedin, but the idea was ditched because of opposition from some team members.

    "Vaccinate Fiji" rugby jerseys
    Fiji was supposed to wear jerseys with the words “Vaccinate Fiji” on the chest in Dunedin. Image: Fiji Rugby

    Flying Fijians coach Vern Cotter said the jersey idea was “sprung” on the players at late notice without the necessary consultation.

    “As you can imagine, it’s a delicate subject for some and so it was probably better to just have a clean jersey and then spend some time on how best we want to communicate on this matter and how comfortable the players and everybody are around that communication.”

    That discussion has now taken place.

    “We have listened to the concerns raised by some members of the squad regarding the message, and the perspective that individuals have different choices when it comes to vaccination,” O’Connor said.

    “In turn, we explained FRU’s position and support for the vaccination programme in Fiji, which will help save lives and assist our health authorities in the fight against the Covid-19 outbreak.”

    With not all the players fully on board, a compromise was struck.

    “The squad has settled on the “Vaccinate Fiji’ jersey, with an additional “It’s Your Choice” message alongside it,” O’Connor explained.

    “We thank them for their understanding and participation in this process.”

    There will also be “Vaccinate Fiji” signage at the Hamilton game.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Indonesia records highest increase in covid cases –– numbers likely to rise again

    ANALYSIS: By Dicky Budiman, Griffith University

    Indonesia is currently experiencing a massive spike in COVID-19 infection and deaths, as experts (including myself) have unfortunately been predicting.

    The country recorded its largest single-day increase in new cases on July 13, with more than 47,000 infections.

    And this is likely to be a huge undercount because too few people are getting tested.

    The positivity rate — the percentage of people taking covid tests who return a positive result — currently sits at 26 percent, according to Our World In Data, which indicates Indonesia is almost certainly missing many more cases.

    Local research found 44 percent of Jakarta residents had antibodies against the virus. Only 8 percent had actually been confirmed cases.

    One reason for the low testing rates is a lack of access to covid tests. Free tests are only available in health-care facilities for people with symptoms or who have been in contact with confirmed cases.

    The price private laboratories charge for covid tests can be prohibitive.

    What’s gone wrong?
    The central government had resisted lockdowns, despite the hospital system hitting crisis point, and has instead prioritised keeping the economy open.

    Over the past 16 months, health authorities have struggled to implement contact tracing systems, where people who may have come in contact with the virus are asked to isolate to stop them spreading the virus.

    The government has downplayed the pandemic since the beginning, both underestimating the risk in its pandemic planning, and understating the harms in its public communication.

    There has been little transparency and poor public communication about the disease.

    These shortcomings have put Indonesia in an extremely vulnerable position. The islands of Java and Bali in particular are seeing record-breaking numbers of new cases and deaths.

    The faster-spreading delta variant is playing a significant role. Genomic analysis shows delta has displaced other SARS-CoV-2 variants which first circulated in Indonesia.

    What has the government done so far?
    On July 1, the government announced a semi-lockdown for Java and Bali. Under the restrictions, all employees in non-essential industries must work from home, while 50 percent of employees in essential industries, including finance, can work in an office.

    Critical sectors, such as health facilities and food outlets, may operate with total capacity on-site.

    Shopping malls must close, and grocery stores and supermarkets can operate until 8pm daily at 50 percent capacity. Food outlets can only offer takeaway or delivery services.

    Public transport may operate at 70 percent capacity. Air and long-distance bus and train travellers must produce a vaccine card indicating at least one dose of a covid vaccine.

    Face masks are mandatory in public areas.

    Authorities have instructed security forces to enforce the protocols.

    On July 7, these restrictions were expanded to all other parts of the country.

    A large part of the current strategy focuses on covid vaccination. By the end of June the country was administering one million vaccine doses a day, and has maintained a similar rate since then.

    But Indonesia currently lacks a robust system of testing, contact tracing and isolating, which should be the main strategy in dealing with a pandemic; the goal of restrictions should be to supplement and strengthen this strategy.

    When it will reach the peak?
    Based on my calculations, if the restrictions and mask mandates are adhered to, I estimate covid cases in Indonesia could peak in late July or early August, with new case numbers rising to 200,000 a day.

    But if restrictions are ineffective, we could see up to 400,000 new daily cases at the peak.

    I base these projections on a few factors. I start with the assumption that reported cases are a massive undercount. Then I use an estimate of the spreading rate of covid under certain assumptions, including whether or not restrictions are adhered to.

    I also use the number of reported deaths and work backwards to estimate how many cases are likely to have caused that many deaths.

    For example, over the last few days Indonesia has recorded around 1000 deaths per day. Deaths lag cases, so let’s look at new daily cases from three weeks ago — they were around 15,000 a day.

    But if we assume a case fatality rate of around 2 percent, that means 1000 deaths could translate to 50,000 cases.

    Because reported deaths are likely to be an undercount too, that figure could be more like 100,000 cases. So the real number of cases could be three to six times higher than reported cases.

    And that was three weeks ago.

    I also estimate the number of deaths each day will peak at the end of July or early August, with 1000 to 2300 deaths per day. The number of people in hospital and ICUs could reach 93,000 and 20,000 per day, respectively.

    What challenges must be overcome?
    The Indonesian government faces a number of challenges in controlling the covid crisis.

    Some parts of Indonesia are densely populated, including the covid epicentres Java, Bali and Madura, which makes it easier for the virus to spread. Therefore, the success of Indonesia’s pandemic control will depend on how the government handles the situation on these islands.

    Hospitals are increasingly becoming overwhelmed with some running out of oxygen.

    Other challenges include regional disparities in covid vaccination rates, the spread of false covid information, vaccine hesitancy, a lack of universal access to clean water, low immunisation coverage among children, and the poor socioeconomic status of most of the population.

    This makes it difficult for the government to apply stricter public health measures to contain the virus, as we’ve seen in more socioeconomically advantaged countries.

    Australia’s role
    As a high GDP country which has been successful in suppressing covid, Australia has an obligation to help protect Indonesia and the region by providing international aid.

    Last week, Australia announced a support package, with 2.5 million AstraZeneca vaccines, along with oxygen supplies, rapid testing kits, and ventilators.

    Bilateral and regional cooperation is essential during the covid crisis; no country can be safe until all countries are safe.
    The Conversation

    Dicky Budiman, MD, epidemiologist and PhD candidate on Global Health Security, Griffith University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Doctors’ leaders criticise Johnson’s ‘irresponsible’ lockdown lifting

    Doctors’ leaders have condemned Boris Johnson’s “irresponsible” decision to press ahead with lockdown lifting in England despite Covid-19 infections continuing to surge.

    The British Medical Association (BMA) warned of “potentially devastating consequences” after the Prime Minister confirmed on Monday that most mandatory restrictions will end next week.

    At a Downing Street news conference, Johnson acknowledged the pandemic “is not over” and appealed to people to proceed with caution.

    At the same time, he said postponing the easing of restrictions into the autumn would risk reopening at a time when schools are back from their summer holidays and people are spending more time indoors as the weather turns cold.

    Broken promises

    However Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA council chair, said that by going ahead on July 19, the Government was reneging on its promise to be led by the data and the impact on the NHS.

    He said scrapping restrictions while a significant proportion of the population was still not fully vaccinated, would allow the virus to “retighten its grip”, driving up infections and hospitalisations and putting more lives at risk.

    HEALTH Coronavirus
    (PA Graphics)

    He said:

    It’s irresponsible – and frankly perilous – that the Government has decided to press ahead with plans to lift the remaining Covid-19 restrictions on July 19.

    The BMA has repeatedly warned of the rapidly rising infection rate and the crippling impact that Covid-related hospitalisations continue to have on the NHS, not only pushing staff to the brink of collapse but also driving up already lengthy waiting times for elective care.

    The Prime Minister repeatedly emphasised the importance of a slow and cautious approach, but in reality the Government is throwing caution to the wind by scrapping all regulations in one fell swoop – with potentially devastating consequences.

    Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, the chairperson of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said the body did not generally involve itself in public debate but “we felt it necessary to say caution is vital” regarding July 19.

    She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme:

    We need everyone to think very carefully and responsibly about what they’re doing personally: Just because the law changes doesn’t mean that what we do as individuals has to change.

    Peak still to come

    Covid-19 vaccine doses in the UK
    (PA Graphics)

    The latest daily official figures showed cases continue to surge with a further 34,471 laboratory-confirmed infections in the UK as of 9am on Monday.

    Under current modelling, the peak of the wave is not expected before mid-August, when there could be 1,000 to 2,000 hospital admissions per day, with deaths expected to reach between 100 and 200 per day.

    Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said there was “considerable uncertainty” as to how the disease would play out in the coming weeks.

    He said:

    I sympathise with the political message that this can’t go on forever but on the other hand we really don’t want to get to a situation where things get so bad that we have to reimpose restrictions and it’s a very delicate balancing act to get that right.

    The more you let the genie out of the bottle the harder it is to put it back in, though there is a large amount of uncertainty.

    Decisions to come

    The BMA tweeted:

    In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will announce on Tuesday whether restrictions can be eased across the country on July 19 as planned.

    Ahead of her statement to the recalled Scottish Parliament, Sturgeon said last week that with cases in Scotland at record levels any relaxation would require “care and caution”.

    The Welsh Government is expected to set out its next steps on Wednesday.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Solomon Islands covid vaccination plan kicks off – delta variant threat

    By Robert Iroga in Honiara

    The Solomon Islands government has kicked off its full rollout of its nationwide covid vaccination strategy.

    Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said in his nationwide address that with the increasing threat from the highly transmissible delta variant of covid-19, the government had decided to implement a full rollout of vaccination in all provinces for all adults aged over 18.

    “We have now reached the stage where we must roll-out our covid-19 vaccination throughout the nation for all adults that are 18 years of age and over,” he said.

    Sogavare said the strategy was to vaccinate all eligible adults in the country to ensure that the risk of widespread community transmission was minimised if the delta variant entered the country.

    The Prime Minister said the level of risk had also been raised and that every person travelling to Solomon Islands from high-risk countries or countries with community transmission of covid-19 must be fully vaccinated before they would be allowed into the country.

    Prime Minister Sogavare said more than 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines were available with development partners committed to supply more doses.

    He said the Ministry of Health had recently conducted a “training of trainers” workshop’ for all provincial health directors, doctors, nurses, data, and registration officers in the past weeks as the national covid-19 vaccination rollout commences.

    Further training
    “The trained provincial teams will conduct further training for provincial health workers in their respective provinces throughout this month of July to support their provincial covid-19 vaccination roll out,” he said.

    Prime Minister Sogavare said that as part of the nationwide strategy, 131 newly registered nurses had also been trained in covid-19 treatment, including vaccination.

    He said many of them would be deployed to the provinces to support the provincial teams in rolling out the vaccination.

    “I thank the Ministry of Health senior executive for their leadership in coordinating the national vaccination roll-out plan with all the provincial health directors and their teams,” he said.

    Prime Minister Sogavare also acknowledged the lord mayor and his executive for taking the lead in the national covid-19 vaccination rollout in Honiara last week.

    Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has reiterated his call for all adults 18 years and over living in and around Honiara to get their vaccinations at the Central Field Hospital and other outreach vaccination centers.

    The national covid-19 vaccination rollout programme for Guadalcanal province also started last week at Malanago ward.

    Several “outreach vaccination sites” had been set up in Malanago ward in Central Guadalcanal.

    The mobile vaccination team would travel to other wards after the rollout programme in Malanago ward was completed.

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji’s Nakorowiri villagers turn up in numbers to be vaccinated

    By Serafina Silaitoga in Labasa, Fiji

    Villagers and surrounding farmers in Labasa on Fiji’s Vanua Levu island turned up in big numbers for the covid-19 vaccination drive held at Nakorowiri village.

    Opposition SODELPA parliamentarian Mosese Bulitavu gave his house for medical officials to use for the AstraZeneca vaccination drive.

    “The villagers came in numbers volunteering themselves to get the jab and we are so thankful to the vaccination team for their commitment,” Bulitavu said.

    “This vaccination drive happened because we have pledged in the village to break the chain of community transmission by getting vaccinated so we are protected.

    “Our loved ones and those around us too will get protected when we are vaccinated.”

    Meanwhile, the average cases of covid-19 recorded per day within a period of seven days was 622, reports Health Secretary Dr James Fong.

    He said the cases had increased daily with a number of people dying from the virus.

    As of July 10, he said Fiji recorded 353,303 adults receiving their first dose of the vaccine and 66,635 had received their second doses.

    He said this meant that 60.2 percent of the target population had received at least one dose and 11.4 percent were now fully vaccinated nationwide.

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • 15-year-old girl among latest Fiji covid deaths as virus cases soar over 11,000

    By Josefa Babitu in Suva

    A 15-year-old girl has become Fiji’s youngest death due to the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, taking the death toll to 58 – all but two of those in the outbreak since April.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong has confirmed this after an investigation by medical personnel classified the case as another covid-19 death.

    The girl from Colo-I-Suva was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Raiwaqa Health Centre last week.

    “This means that she either died at home or on her way to the health facility. Her family reported that she had been feeling unwell for two days,” Dr Fong said.

    “Her symptoms included cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

    “She was not vaccinated — she was not in the target population of people 18 years and over that are eligible to receive the vaccine.”

    Two other covid deaths today
    Her case was announced along with two other covid-19 deaths in the past day.

    “The first covid-19 death we are reporting today is a 56-year-old woman from Vatuwaqa who died at home.

    “The second covid-19 death was an 87-year-old woman from Nasinu. She presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the FEMAT field hospital and she died two days after admission.

    Both these patients were not vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, donated by New Zealand and Australia, which the Health Ministry is administering to all eligible people around the country.

    This brings the total deaths due to the virus to 58, with 56 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

    Separately, there have been 26 covid-19 positive patients who died from serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted the virus. These cases are not classified by the ministry as covid-19 deaths.

    New daily record
    A total of 9310 people are battling the delta variant of the virus in the country after it recorded a new daily high record of 873 cases ending at 8 am today while 132 recoveries were made.

    “The 7-day average of new cases per day is 696 cases per day or 787 cases per million population per day.

    With daily increases in cases, the ministry has seen an increase in severe cases of covid-19 and increasing deaths

    The ministry has vaccinated 353,355 adults with their first dose of the vaccine and 66,643 have received their second doses as of July 11.

    Percentage-wise, this means that 60.2 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 11.4 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

    “With increasing daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, we are asking all Fijians to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

    Fiji’s covid-19 cases stand at 11,385 with only 1991 recoveries since March last year.

    Josefa Babitu is a final-year student journalist at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He is also the current student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publication. He is a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Covid-19 cases on board Viking Bay: Agent says NZ officials ‘jumped gun’

    RNZ News

    The agent for a ship carrying two covid-19-infected fishermen says New Zealand officials jumped the gun in announcing all its crew would be taken into managed isolation.

    The mariners were in a group of nine sailors who arrived in Auckland on Monday without having to quarantine and were immediately driven to New Plymouth to board their deep sea fishing vessel.

    Yesterday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the Viking Bay was returning to New Plymouth where all 15 crew would be taken into managed isolation.

    However, last night that was rejected by the port, which said it would put staff at risk.

    As of last night, the Ministry of Health said it was now unclear where the ship would dock. The ministry declined to be interviewed today on RNZ Morning Report.

    The vessel’s agent when it was at Taranaki, Bill Preston, told Morning Report the ship appeared to be in international waters.

    Preston said there had been a lack of communication.

    ‘Jumping the gun’
    “Announcements have been made without collaboration with the port or anybody. So I think everybody is jumping the gun a bit.”

    He said the first he had heard of the situation was when the port’s chief executive called him to confirm the news, after Dr Bloomfield’s announcement in the weekly vaccine update yesterday.

    “I said [to the port’s chief executive], ‘no, there’s been no decision around what the vessel is going to do at this stage’.”

    Dr Bloomfield’s announcement was also the first time that the port had heard of the news too, Preston said.

    Since then, he said he had seen communication with the ministry overnight, about making a plan of what the ship would do.

    Maritime Union national secretary Craig Harrison said the port should reverse that decision on humanitarian grounds.

    “Taranaki could let the vessel pull on site and tie up and not let anyone off but get them close to medical health in case something happens.”

    Port’s ban ‘harsh’
    Harrison said the port’s decision was “harsh”.

    “We really feel for the crew now … this crew has got nowhere to go and you can guarantee that any foreign port that’s close to us now won’t let them in their waters… they won’t want to touch them,” he said.

    “Unfortunately, I think New Zealand will have to do something about it.”

    He said preventing the virus spreading to other crew on the cramped vessel would be difficult, with closed ventilation on the ship and only one galley.

    “I feel really sorry for the crew that are out there, because you can imagine that what’s going through their minds is sooner or later are they going to get covid-19. It’s a terrible situation to be in and I think time is of the essence.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Fiji’s field hospital begins covid crisis transition with 791 new cases, 3 deaths

    By Talebula Kate in Suva

    Fiji’s FEMAT field hospital at Laucala Bay in the capital Suva has begun its transition into a covid-19 dedicated hospital as the country’s health authorities reported 791 new cases and three deaths in the past day.

    Health Secretary Dr James Fong highlighted this in his covid-19 update last night.

    Dr Fong said the ministry had set up an emergency number 165 for people with severe covid-19 symptoms to contact if they could not get to a hospital themselves.

    “Sadly, we continue to see people with severe COVID-19 dying at home or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness and dying within a day or two,” Dr Fong said.

    “Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death,” he said.

    Dr Fong said Fijians need to know the severe symptoms of covid-19, which include:

    • Difficulty breathing;
    • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest;
    • Severe headache for a few days;
    • New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake; and
    • Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.

    “If you or a loved one have any of these symptoms please go immediately to your nearest medical facility or call 165 if unable to get to a medical facility.”

    Dr Fong reported there had now been 42 deaths in Fiji due to covid-19.

    He announced 791 new cases and three deaths in the last 24-hour period ending at 8am yesterday.

    Dr Fong said that 40 of the deaths were recorded during the outbreak that started in April this year.

    “We also have recorded 19 covid-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted covid-19,” Dr Fong said.

    He said there had been three more deaths of covid-19 positive patients.

    “However, these deaths have been classified as non-covid deaths by their doctors.

    “Doctors have determined that their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions,” Dr Fong said.

    At a glance as at July 7, 2021:

    • 37 new recoveries reported since the last update
    • 6,524 active cases in isolation
    • 7,870 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021
    • 7,940 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,355 recoveries.

    Talebula Kate is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Fiji government ‘useless’, warns Prasad – Ardern touts lockdown benefits

    RNZ Pacific

    The Fiji government’s response to the covid-19 pandemic outbreak is an utter failure, but it is not too late to follow New Zealand’s lockdown example, an opposition leader says.

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told media her advice was that the lockdown strategy had saved lives.

    Fiji is in the grip of a covid-19 outbreak that has infected 791 people and left three more dead in the past day.

    Fiji’s deputy opposition leader Professor Biman Prasad told RNZ’s Nine to Noon programme that the government’s strategy had been a complete failure and needed to change.

    “Change the strategy now. It’s about life and death now. It’s about fixing the health public health emergency right now, which will also be good in the long term for the economy.”

    “The stupid, stubborn, ego-driven policies of this government and the leadership of this government has been utter failure, you know, complete nonsense.”

    He said people were fearful and anxious, and the government was putting all its eggs in one basket – vaccination.

    ‘People are dying’
    “Vaccination is important, we’re encouraging people to get vaccinated. But right now we are having a public health emergency – people are dying, our health systems are giving up.”

    It was not too late for the country to follow the examples of New Zealand and Australia and lock down, he said.

    “If there is a proper planned lockdown with appropriate provision of support such as food rations, etc, for people in the lower income categories I think a lot of people will understand why the government would do that.”

    Ardern told New Zealand media this afternoon it was up to the Fiji government to make its own decision, but offered some advice.

    “Lockdown, for us, has saved lives and it’s also benefited our economy. But these choices are for governments,” she said.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
    NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern … “Lockdown, for us, has saved lives and it’s also benefited our economy.” Image: Dom Thomas/RNZ

    “Our help and assistance will be there regardless of what strategy they adopt, they’re our neighbours and I think no one wants to see any country suffering under the full effects of an outbreak.”

    Ardern said she had spoken to Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama last week and offered wide ranging support, having already provided NZ$40 million in aid, plus protective equipment, specialists, and offered future vaccines.

    “Acknowledging that they of course have the right to make their own decisions.”

    Fiji should seek more help
    Dr Prasad said the government should seek more help from Australia and New Zealand to help with testing.

    “People are dying, you know, on arrival to the hospitals because the health system cannot cope … if the cases continue to rise – and more and more people seek medical attention – any health system is gonna give up,” he said.

    “I’m afraid that’s what is happening right now in Fiji.”

    Dr Prasad said he suspected the government was ignoring advice, and its messaging had been contradictory.

    “It’s very, very clear that this government has completely lost the plot.”

    “They need to convince the people … they haven’t explained very clearly as to what and why they’re doing what they’re doing right now.”

    The people of Fiji were grateful for the assistance from Australia and New Zealand, he said, but the Fiji government should ask for more help in the form of support for those who may be unable to care for their children and put food on the table.

    Donations to help Fiji could also be sent to non-government organisations that were already providing help, he said.

    Civil society groups in Fiji have urged the government to release data to help them provide an effective response to the crisis.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Why is Delta such a worry? It’s more infectious, probably causes more severe disease, and challenges our vaccines

    ANALYSIS: By Michael Toole, Burnet Institute

    While Australians may be focused on the havoc the Delta variant is wreaking on our shores, Delta is in fact driving waves of covid infections all around the world.

    With the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning Delta will rapidly become the dominant strain, let’s take a look at this variant in a global context.

    The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) emerged quietly in the Indian state of Maharashtra in October 2020. It barely caused a ripple at a time when India was reporting around 40,000 to 80,000 cases a day, most being the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) first found in the United Kingdom.

    That changed in April when India experienced a massive wave of infections peaking at close to 400,000 daily cases in mid-May. The Delta variant rapidly emerged as the dominant strain in India.

    The WHO designated Delta as a variant of concern on May 11, making it the fourth such variant.

    The Delta variant rapidly spread around the world and has been identified in at least 98 countries to date. It’s now the dominant strain in countries as diverse as the UK, Russia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia and Fiji.

    And it’s on the rise.

    In the United States, Delta made up one in five covid cases in the two weeks up to June 19, compared to just 2.8 percent in the two weeks up to May 22.

    Meanwhile, the most recent Public Health England weekly update reported an increase of 35,204 Delta cases since the previous week. More than 90 percent of sequenced cases were the Delta variant.

    In just two months, Delta has replaced Alpha as the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the UK. The increase is primarily in younger age groups, a large proportion of whom are unvaccinated.

    2 key mutations
    Scientists have identified more than 20 mutations in the Delta variant, but two may be crucial in helping it transmit more effectively than earlier strains. This is why early reports from India called it a “double mutant”.

    The first is the L452R mutation, which is also found in the Epsilon variant, designated by the WHO as a variant of interest. This mutation increases the spike protein’s ability to bind to human cells, thereby increasing its infectiousness.

    Preliminary studies also suggest this mutation may aid the virus in evading the neutralising antibodies produced by both vaccines and previous infection.

    A woman wearing a mask crosses the street in New York.
    Evidence shows the Delta variant is more infectious. We can understand why by looking at its mutations. Image: Shutterstock

    The second is a novel T478K mutation. This mutation is located in the region of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein which interacts with the human ACE2 receptor, which facilitates viral entry into lung cells.

    The recently described Delta Plus variant carries the K417N mutation too. This mutation is also found in the Beta variant, against which covid vaccines may be less effective.

    One good thing about the Delta variant is the fact researchers can rapidly track it because its genome contains a marker the previously dominant Alpha variant lacks.

    This marker — known as the “S gene target” — can be seen in the results of PCR tests used to detect covid-19. So researchers can use positive S-target hits as a proxy to quickly map the spread of Delta, without needing to sequence samples fully.

    Why is Delta a worry?
    The most feared consequences of any variant of concern relate to infectiousness, severity of disease, and immunity conferred by previous infection and vaccines.

    WHO estimates Delta is 55 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was itself around 50 percent more transmissible than the original Wuhan virus.

    That translates to Delta’s effective reproductive rate (the number of people on average a person with the virus will infect, in the absence of controls such as vaccination) being five or higher. This compares to two to three for the original strain.

    There has been some speculation the Delta variant reduces the so-called “serial interval”; the period of time between an index case being infected and their household contacts testing positive. However, in a pre-print study (a study which hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed), researchers in Singapore found the serial interval of household transmission was no shorter for Delta than for previous strains.

    One study from Scotland, where the Delta variant is predominating, found Delta cases led to 85 percent higher hospital admissions than other strains. Most of these cases, however, were unvaccinated.

    The same study found two doses of Pfizer offered 92 percent protection against symptomatic infection for Alpha and 79 percent for Delta. Protection from the AstraZeneca vaccine was substantial but reduced: 73 percent for Alpha versus 60 percent for Delta.

    A study by Public Health England found a single dose of either vaccine was only 33 percent effective against symptomatic disease compared to 50 percent against the Alpha variant. So having a second dose is extremely important.

    In a pre-print article, Moderna revealed their mRNA vaccine protected against Delta infection, although the antibody response was reduced compared to the original strain. This may affect how long immunity lasts.

    A global challenge to controlling the pandemic
    The Delta variant is more transmissible, probably causes more severe disease, and current vaccines don’t work as well against it.

    WHO warns low-income countries are most vulnerable to Delta as their vaccination rates are so low. New cases in Africa increased by 33 percent over the week to June 29, with covid-19 deaths jumping 42 percent.

    There has never been a time when accelerating the vaccine rollout across the world has been as urgent as it is now.

    WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus has warned that in addition to vaccination, public health measures such as strong surveillance, isolation and clinical care remain key. Further, tackling the Delta variant will require continued mask use, physical distancing and keeping indoor areas well ventilated.The Conversation

    Dr Michael Toole is professor of international health at the Burnet Institute. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.