Jakarta administration secretary Saefullah died on Wednesday noon after being admitted to the hospital for COVID-19.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has confirmed the news to The Jakarta Post.

Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria also confirmed Saefullah’s death to journalists, saying the secretary had died at 12:55 p.m. at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta, where he was receiving treatment for COVID-19.

“He was admitted to the hospital because of a problem with his stomach and other diseases. His family later told us that he had tested positive for COVID-19,” Ahmad said.

Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti said Saefullah had died of irreversible sepsis shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 infection damaged his lung tissue, causing irreversible respiratory failure called ARDS. This condition results in decreased oxygen absorption,” she said in a statement.

She added that Saefullah had been admitted to MMC Hospital in South Jakarta on Sept. 8, before being transferred to Gatot Subroto Army Hospital on Monday.

The provincial administration announced on Saturday that the 56-year-old official tested positive for COVID-19. He was among eight officials in the provincial administration to test positive for the disease.

Saefullah had served as the Jakarta secretary since July 2014. Prior to taking the position in City Hall, he was the mayor of Central Jakarta for the 2010-2014 term.(sau)

Editor’s note: The article has been updated with the cause of death and Saefullah’s career history.

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