Indonesian authorities announced on Tuesday plans to order more liquid oxygen in order to combat a shortage as COVID-19 cases skyrocket to unprecedented levels in the country.
Senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan told CNBC Indonesia that 40,000 tons of liquid oxygen are being imported from the United States, China, and Japan in an attempt to bridge the gap. Although Indonesia can only handle 1,700 tons of liquid oxygen use daily, recent figures estimate that the healthcare system requires 2,000, according to Reuters.
Oxygen is essential for treating respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 and is best stored in liquid form, according to the Lung Health Institute. Oxygen expands 860 times when converted from a liquid to a gas, meaning that far more oxygen can be stored in liquid form in smaller and more convenient tanks.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told parliament that the demand for oxygen had outstripped production capacity following the arrival of the delta variant and a lack of preventive measures from the Indonesian government.
“The president has ordered us to look into the worst-case scenario,” Luhut said.
The daily number of new infections has increased eightfold over the past month alone, according to the Economist. In July, Indonesia took the third spot for most daily cases reported, behind Brazil and India. The Indonesian healthcare system has been unable to cope with the increase, facing shortages in hospital beds and especially medical liquid oxygen.
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“I had trouble finding oxygen last night. I went to five places, including this store and a big medicine market, but all ran out,” one Jakartan woman told Al Jazeera. “We went to the health center … They said to give oxygen at home while waiting for the hospital … but we have been waiting for two days, and there’s no hospital referral.”
The Indonesian healthcare system is also lacking in hospital beds, with nine out of the country’s 34 provinces reporting a hospital bed capacity of over 80%. Capacity is so full that the health minister urged those with mild symptoms to stay home and self-isolate. More than 450 people have died in self-isolation since June, according to data collector Lapor COVID-19.
The southeastern Asian country was largely spared by the first wave of COVID-19, reporting far fewer cases than Europe or North America. The arrival of the more contagious delta variant, a low vaccination rate, limited testing, and a lack of preventive measures by the Indonesian government have all contributed to the current crisis. Other southeastern Asian countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam are facing similar increases.
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As of Tuesday, there have been more than 2.6 million recorded cases in Indonesia, with 68,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.
