Local Gov'ts Must Prepare Referral Hospitals Anticipating COVID Subvariants

TheIndonesia.co - A public policy expert from Jenderal Soedirman University has warned local governments of a possibility of having to prepare referral hospitals and health facilities to anticipate a probable new case surge caused by Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5

Slamet Rosyadi said following the finding of BA.4 and BA.5 infections in Indonesia, a new wave became a possibility that must be considered by authorities, and having referral hospitals at their disposal would help local governments handle the turn of events better.

“Local governments need to prepare hospitals and health facilities to anticipate Omicron new subvariants,” Rosyadi said on Sunday, June 19, as reported by Antara.

With their experience in handling previous case spikes, he said he’s optimistic that it would be easier for local authorities to prepare a series of health facilities that can treat COVID-19 infections.

In addition, local governments were also asked to continue educating the public on the risks of infection, especially to the more vulnerable groups, such as pregnant mothers and the elderlies.

“Even though according to health experts, BA.4 and BA.5 cause relatively mild symptoms, the public still need to be aware because they still pose a threat to people with pre-existing conditions and other vulnerable groups,” he added.

Reminding people to always implement strict health protocols and get their vaccine shots should be done continuously since the world has not yet relieved from the grip of pandemic.

Previously, health expert Tjandra Yoga Aditama also called for local governments to start preparing hospitals and health facilities to anticipate another COVID-19 case surge even though the rate of hospitalization caused by BA.4 and BA.5 might not be as high as the one triggered by Delta variant.

“It appears that the impact on hospitals or health facilities won’t be as big compared to the [peak] of Delta,” the professor said.