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Oxygen prices in Indonesia’s capital had more than doubled and some suppliers reported shortages on Tuesday after a surge in COVID-19 cases that prompted the Red Cross to warn of a coronavirus “catastrophe” in Southeast Asia’s biggest country.
Indonesia, which like many other countries is dealing with the more transmissible delta variant, has announced record daily COVID-19 infections of more than 20,000 in recent days.
With hospitals filling up in the capital of Jakarta and patients being turned away, some people sought to secure oxygen for infected family members at home. The price for a tank of oxygen had jumped to $140 US from the usual $50 US, suppliers said.
“I’m queuing here now to refill oxygen for my wife and son who are now positive with COVID-19,” said Taufik Hidayat, 51, at one supplier. “I went around and it all was sold out.”
Sellers in others areas in Jakarta told Reuters their stocks had also dried up.
But Sulung Mulia Putra, an official at Jakarta health agency, said a shortage at hospitals was temporary and due to distribution issues that were being resolved.
“Distributors don’t have enough transport, so hospitals will be helped by the police, parks agency and Red Cross to transport oxygen,” he said.
Hospitals in several designated “red zone” areas have reported they are over capacity, including Jakarta, with its isolation beds 93 per cent occupied as of Sunday.
“Hospitals are full because of the case surge caused by mobility and loosening health protocol adherence, worsened also by the delta variant,” said senior health ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi.
The spread of the delta variant has prompted concerns of a crisis in the world’s fourth-most populous country on the scale of that seen in recent months in India, where the variant was first detected.
“Every day we are seeing this delta variant driving Indonesia closer to the edge of a COVID-19 catastrophe,” said Jan Gelfand, head of the Indonesian delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Indonesia is banking on mass vaccinations to get on top of the virus, but only 13.3 million of the 181.5 million targeted for inoculation have received the required two doses
-From Reuters, last updated at 8:30 a.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
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A new study led by Oxford University researchers suggests mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines generates good protection from the coronavirus. Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch explains what this might mean for Canadians. 4:08
As of 3:53 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Canada had reported 1,414,646 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 7,589 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,269. More than 36.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according to CBC’s vaccine tracker.
In the Prairies on Tuesday, Saskatchewan officials said there were 52 new cases of COVID-19 and another two people had died.
Manitoba reported 61 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths. The provincial government has selected 25 community groups and businesses to receive grants for projects that could help drive up vaccination rates.
Officials in Alberta have not yet provided an update for Tuesday, but reported 31 cases and two deaths on Monday.
In Atlantic Canada on Tuesday, officials in Newfoundland and Labrador said there were no new cases Tuesday.
Prince Edward Island reported one new case of COVID-19. The new case is the only active reported infection in the province.
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Nova Scotia also reported one new case of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus on Tuesday. The province’s Premier, Iain Rankin, and top doctor, Robert Strang, are set to provide an update on COVID-19 in the province later in the day.
New Brunswick, meanwhile, reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
In Quebec, where COVID-19 restrictions were further loosened on Monday, health officials on Tuesday reported 71 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths.
Ontario on Tuesday reported 299 new cases of COVID-19 and 25 additional deaths.
In a statement, a provincial spokesperson said that due to a “data review and clean-up,” Tuesday’s numbers include “90 cases from 2020 that have been included in Toronto’s case count.”
“Additionally, 19 deaths from previous months have also been included,” the statement said.
Across the North, there were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in Nunavut on Tuesday. Health officials in the Northwest Territories and Yukon have not yet provided updates for the day. However, health officials in Yukon reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with the majority in Whitehorse.
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Dr. Brent Roussin says it’s important for Manitobans to reduce their contacts because the province is still at risk. 0:55
In British Columbia, health officials on Monday reported 38 new cases of COVID-19. The update, which covered the weekend, also included five additional deaths.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 3:53 p.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
As of early Tuesday afternoon, more than 181.5 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to a coronavirus tracking tool maintained by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll stood at more than 3.9 million.
In the Americas, the United States said it will donate one million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to Paraguay.
Colombia, meanwhile, said it will receive a U.S. donation of 2.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Janssen, the pharmaceutical unit of Johnson & Johnson.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte prolonged restrictions on movement and businesses in the capital and nearby provinces until mid-July and retained stricter curbs in central and southern areas, an official said on Tuesday.
In Europe, Russian authorities have reported 652 new coronavirus deaths on Tuesday — the highest daily tally in the pandemic. The new record comes as Russia struggles to cope with a surge in infections and deaths and low vaccine uptake. Although Russia was among the first countries to announce and deploy a coronavirus vaccine, only about 14 per cent of the population has received at least one shot.
France’s government is urging all nursing home staff in the nation to get vaccinated. It’s sending more vaccine doses to a southwestern region where the delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading fast.
COVID-19 infections in Africa will likely exceed previous peaks within days, underscoring an urgent need to accelerate vaccine supplies and financing to the region, International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva said.
Tanzania will spend $470 million US buying vaccines and supporting economic sectors hit hard by the coronavirus, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said.
In the Middle East, Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates, has announced that a wide range of public places will soon be accessible only to those vaccinated against the coronavirus in a bid to encourage more people to get shots.
The Emirati government on Monday said that starting Aug. 20, authorities will begin restricting access to shopping malls, restaurants, cafes, sporting activities, museums, gyms, schools and universities. The unvaccinated will effectively be barred from entering any business in the city except for supermarkets and pharmacies.
Abu Dhabi has already rolled out a “green pass” system that limits public access to those who have either received the shot or can show a negative virus test.
It comes as the country increasingly bets its economic reopening on its speedy vaccination campaign. The government says at least 93 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
-From The Associated Press and Reuters, last updated at 12:25 p.m. ET
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