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North Sumatra prepares 1,000 isolation rooms to handle COVID-19 patients
North Sumatra governor Edy Rahmayadi said that his administration had already prepared 330 isolation rooms by Wednesday, while the North Sumatra Police would help with another 400 rooms.
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Medical personnel take a 'patient' to the isolation room during a COVID-19 simulation in Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung, West Java, on Friday (6/3/2020). (Antara/M Agung Rajasa)
T
he North Sumatra administration says it is preparing 1,000 isolation rooms to handle potential COVID-19 patients in the region, as the number of confirmed cases in the country continues to rise.
North Sumatra governor Edy Rahmayadi said that his administration had already prepared 330 isolation rooms by Wednesday, while the North Sumatra Police would help with another 400 rooms.
"I have coordinated [with various relevant parties] to provide more, in the hope that we could eventually provide 1,000 such rooms in the near future," Edy told journalists after attending a coordination meeting to deal with the coronavirus spread on Tuesday.
Read also: Three Indonesians who attended mass prayer in Malaysia test positive for COVID-19
He said a special task force would soon be deployed to handle COVID-19 patients in North Sumatra. "Patients with COVID-19 will get free treatment," Edy assured, citing that being infected with the deadly virus could be categorized as an "emergency" state.
Restuti Hidayani, a member of North Sumatra task force formed to deal with coronavirus contagion, said at least 75 people were currently under observation in the region. They were all being treated in isolation rooms, which were "spread across a number of hospitals".
Read also: Think you have COVID-19? Here's how to get tested in Indonesia
Adam Malik Hospital in the capital Medan reportedly received five additional suspected cases on Monday, bringing the total number of isolated patients at the hospital to eight. "Our isolation rooms are at full capacity right now," the hospital's coordinator for COVID-19 handling, Ade Rahmaini, said.
As of Wednesday morning, Indonesia has reported 172 confirmed COVID-19 cases, resulting in five deaths. (vny)
