Indonesia's daily COVID-19 cases today topped 47,000, as the government unveiled new plans to boost the oxygen supply and as other countries in Asia logged more record highs fueled by the expanding Delta (1617.2) variant spread.
Elsewhere in the world, Africa's COVID 19 deaths rose sharply, and countries in Europe took more steps to counter rising illness numbers.
Indonesia looks for more oxygen
Yesterday, Indonesia's cases passed 40,000 for the first time, and today's total of 47,899 marks a dramatic increase and is up sevenfold from a month ago, according to Reuters. The country also reported 864 more deaths.
At a parliamentary hearing, the country's health minister said hospitals are over capacity in parts of Java and the demand of medical oxygen has exceeded supply. Hospitals in nine of Indonesia's province are over 80% capacity.
Official are exploring the possibility of tapping into excess industrial oxygen and are importing oxygen and oxygen concentrators from the United States, China, and Japan with an eye toward allowing those with less severe illnesses to receive oxygen treatment in their homes.
Elsewhere in Asia, Malaysia's cases topped 11,000 today, reaching another single-day high, with South Korea also reporting its highest daily case number of the pandemic.
Africa reports sharp rise in deaths
After 7 weeks of rises, illness levels decreased negligibly last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said in its regular weekly report today, warning that the slight dip could reflect delayed reporting. Deaths in the current wave have trended higher than previous surges, and fatalities were up 42.2% from the previous week, mostly concentrated in a few countries, about half from South Africa.
Cases rose in 19 countries last week, the WHO said. An increasing number of African countries are reporting the Delta variant, which is now dominant in South Africa.
The region continues to report high numbers of healthcare worker infections, with 497 more reported over the past week.
More global headlines
- In Europe, where many countries are reporting steady rises in cases, Portugal's level has risen back to numbers seen in February, with the Delta variant making up 86% of sequenced samples. Some countries in the region are taking strong steps regarding vaccination. For example, France's president announced today that vaccination will be required for people to use cafes and public transportation, which triggered a spike in people making vaccination appointments. And Greece is requiring vaccination or a negative test for people to be in indoor restaurants. Both countries have also made vaccination mandatory for health workers.
- A fire in a hospital COVID ward in Nasiriyah, Iraq, has killed at least 90 people, according to the Washington Post. The cause of the blaze isn't clear, but officials said flammable building materials and careless oxygen storage may be contributing factors.
- The global total today passed 187 million, reaching 187,220,272, and at least 4,038,128 people have died from their infections, according to the New York Times.
