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Death haunts self-isolating patients as COVID-19 tsunami engulfs Indonesia
Stories of self-isolating COVID-19 patients dying at home are becoming increasingly common, as Indonesia’s healthcare system buckles under the pressure of the contagious Delta variant.
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A Bekasi Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officer watches over the morning exercises for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients isolating at the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium isolation center in Bekasi, West Java, on Oct. 2, 2020. Thousands of COVID-19 patients are dying at home in self-isolation, partly due to a lack of monitoring and medical supplies. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
D
espite recent corrective measures to contain the surge of infections and alleviate the burden of overwhelmed hospitals, more COVID-19 patients are quietly dying in self-isolation without even the chance of being treated.
Last month, a 56-year-old woman in Indramayu, West Java, was found dead in her own home after complaining of COVID-19 symptoms following a recent out-of-town trip, Tribunnews.com reported.
Neighbors found her body three days after she passed, with her distressed 70-year-old mother still holding her in her arms. The older woman would later test positive and pass away just a week later, while she also self-isolated at home.
Similar stories have been revealed in recent weeks, as the nation’s healthcare system buckles under pressure from the more contagious Delta variant.
The independently run community data initiative LaporCOVID-19 reported as of Sunday at least 2,641 deaths among COVID-19 patients self-isolating at home over the past two months, based on data gleaned from 84 cities and regencies from 17 provinces across the country.
The group’s cofounder Irma Hidayana said that most of these patients had trouble accessing hospital care. "Many patients already had breathing difficulties [...] but it's very difficult to find available hospitals to treat them," Irma said during a virtual press conference on Sunday.
Read also: More than 2,600 virus patients have died in self-isolation: LaporCOVID-19
