Tulungagung COVID-19 task force spokesman Galih Nusantoro said the worker, identified only as TRS, worked in one of the hospitals in the regency. The 52-year-old COVID-19 victim died after being treated for two weeks.

Galih went on to say that TRS was found to be positive with COVID-19 twice between July and October.

“TRS was one of the confirmed cases that we announced on July 22,” he said as reported by kompas.com.

After contracting the virus, TRS was declared recovered on July 25, and he managed to return to work afterward. However, on Sept. 28, TRS showed pneumonic symptoms. A list of workers along with TRS were requested to take COVID-19 tests.

As a result, TRS was declared positive with COVID-19 again on Sept. 30.

“TRS was treated in Dr. Iskak Regional General Hospital [RSUD] but his condition kept deteriorating until a doctor announced his death on Friday [Oct. 16],” said Galih, adding that Tulungagung had recorded a total of 443 COVID-19 confirmed cases with four fatalities so far.

Amid the recent development of the pandemic, Galih encouraged regency residents to continue to wear masks, wash their hands and maintain physical distancing to stop the virus transmission.

“The fatality rate [in Tulungagung] is still low, especially as compared with the national rate, which has reached 3.7 percent. In the meantime, East Java’s fatality rate is 4.09 percent,” he added.

Elsewhere in Central Java, Banyumas has applied a pink plastic bracelet policy to protect high-risk groups from COVID-19.

Edhi Ahmadi, a 67-year-old resident of Danaraja in Banyumas donned a plastic bracelet given to him by Banyumas Regent Achmad Husein on Monday. The pink color contrasted with his skin.

The event symbolically kick-started a pilot project to protect people with preexisting diseases that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19. Desa Jaga Komorbid, which translates loosely as “Village Taking Care of People with Comorbidities”, is a program under Central Java’s Jogo Tonggo (Taking Care of Your Neighbor) initiative.

Meanwhile it is reported that in September health authorities in Central Java forced two women to self-isolate after they planned to visit shopping centers despite having tested positive for COVID-19.

The women, who are residents of Semarang and were identified only as F and L, reportedly had a conversation on WhatsApp, in which one of them allegedly prodded the other to spread the virus.

Screen captures of the alleged chat went viral on social media. In the conversation, F reportedly convinced L that it was okay to travel without regard for health protocols. She said one of her neighbors who had also contracted the virus had been going out as well.

Semarang Health Agency head Abdul Hakam said the local COVID-19 task force had examined the two residents.

They were taken by ambulance to the official residence of the mayor, Abdul told tribunnews.com on Sept. 19.

The residence is currently being used as an isolation facility. (nkn)

 

 

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.