Indonesia, which is suffering from another deadly wave of COVID-19 infection, received emergency supplies of oxygen and protective equipment from neighbouring country Singapore on Friday. The country’s healthcare system is overwhelmed due to the sudden rise in COVID cases, reported AFP. 

Singapore sent oxygen cylinders, ventilators, masks, gloves and gowns on two air force planes to Jakarta, the city-state’s foreign ministry said. Another batch of 1,000 ventilators were due to arrive from Australia Friday, while Indonesian officials plan to buy more supplies of oxygen and other equipment.

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This is said to be the most serious outbreak of coronavirus reported in the Southeast Asian archipelago ever since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. This wave is driven by the highest infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is also believed to be responsible for the second deadly wave of COVID in India and several European countries.

Currently, Indonesia is reporting hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of cases on a daily basis.

So far, nearly 1,000 Indonesian medical workers have died of COVID-19, including more than a dozen who were already fully inoculated, according to the country’s medical association.

Considering this crisis, Indonesian authorities on Friday announced that medics would be given a third booster vaccine dose of Moderna, in an effort to provide them extra protection.

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Till now, the Indonesian vaccine program was highly dependent on China-made vaccine Sinovac but the growing deaths of vaccinated doctors have raised doubts on the efficacy of the drug.

At a hospital in Surabaya, on hard-hit Java island, virus patients were queuing for treatment as the facility struggled to cope with a shortage of medics.

“Many of our own medical workers are infected by Covid-19,” said hospital spokeswoman Redita Putri Iriani.

“When a patient is discharged, a new one immediately arrives. We all feel overwhelmed.”

With the country’s outbreak showing no signs of slowing, stricter curbs will be implemented in 15 more cities from Monday, said senior minister Airlangga Hartarto.

The restrictions in the cities on Sumatra island, the Indonesian part of Borneo and Papua will be similar to those already implemented earlier this week on the main island of Java and holiday hotspot Bali.