Saefullah died at age 56 from irreversible septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 at 12:55 p.m. on Wednesday at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta.

The COVID-19 transmission led to a severe infection of his lung tissue and his whole bodily system, causing irreversible respiratory failure and inadequate oxygen absorption, according to details from the administration.

"Today, the Jakarta administration lost one of its best leaders [...] Pak Saefullah was a good man, a hard-worker, someone who always prioritized completing the tasks assigned to him," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said at Saefullah's wake at Jakarta's City Hall on Wednesday.

Prior to his passing, Saefullah had been on the frontline, day and night, in the city's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Anies said. He even attended meetings with the governor almost every day.

Anies said that on Monday last week, the secretary had to excuse himself from a plenary session with the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) for the first time, saying that he did not feel well, before he was eventually taken to a hospital a few days later.

The senior city official had previously received treatment at the MMC hospital in South Jakarta since Sept. 8 before he was transferred to the city's COVID-19 referral hospital, Gatot Subroto Hospital, on Sunday. Saefullah was buried with COVID-19 protocols at the Rorotan cemetery in North Jakarta on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and four children.

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