Indonesia reports first coronavirus cases, World Bank pledges $12 billion

By Angela Betsaida B. Laguipo, BSNMar 4 2020

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak is dramatically spreading around the globe, raising concerns on its widespread threat. The number of total cases jumped to over 95,000, and 3,254 deaths. Now, Indonesia has reported its first cases of the coronavirus on Mar. 2, a 31-year-old woman and a 64-year-old woman from Depok, a city in West Java province in Jakarta. The mother and daughter had been in contact with an infected Japanese National who lived in Malaysia and had tested positive after returning from a trip to Indonesia.

Image Credit: Pete Linforth / Pixabay

Medical workers quarantined

The patients are now hospitalized in Jakarta. However, the Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Depok had sent home about 70 medical workers after they had contact with the two patients during their previous treatment.

The medical workers were sent home as a precautionary measure since they had interaction with the two patients when they were treated at the hospital on Feb. 27 with suspected bronchitis. The two patients left the hospital on Feb. 29 as they were referred to the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Jakarta. It was there where they tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The government is now trying to track all possible contacts of the two confirmed cases by way of the rapid response team of the West Java Health Service.

Fears have increased since Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, next to China, India, and the United States. With the rapid spread of the virus, it can negatively impact the country. The government says it is exerting every effort to contain the spread of the virus.

World Bank pledges emergency fund

The World Bank has promised to provide $12 billion in an emergency fund to help fight the coronavirus disease. The committed fund of the bank will help developing countries combat the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are working to provide a fast, flexible response based on developing country needs in dealing with the spread of COVID-19,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “This includes emergency financing, policy advice, and technical assistance, building on the World Bank Group's existing instruments and expertise to help countries respond to the crisis."

The financial package will provide grants and low-interest loans from IDA for low-income countries and loans from IBRD for middle-income countries, using all of the Bank’s operational instruments with processing accelerated on a fast track basis.  International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, will provide its clients with the necessary support to continue operating and to sustain jobs.

The World Bank support will cover a range of interventions to strengthen health services and primary health care, bolster disease monitoring and reporting, train front line health workers, encourage community engagement to maintain public trust, and improve access to treatment for the poorest patients. The Bank will also provide policy and technical advice to ensure countries can access global expertise.

The countries who are poorest and those who are at the highest risk of the coronavirus effect will be prioritized.

Hotspots

Iran, Italy, and South Korea have been on the hotspot due to the rapid increase in cases and deaths. Iran has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners to halt the spread of the virus in its overcrowded jails. As of writing, Iran has 2,922 confirmed cases and 92 deaths.

Italy has reported a spike in deaths in the past 48 hours, with a death toll of 107, and the number of cases increased to 3,089. South Korea has the highest number of confirmed cases outside China, with 5,621 cases and 35 deaths.

Other countries have reported their first cases of the coronavirus disease, including Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Morocco, Latvia, Jordan, Andorra, Senegal, and Tunisia.

Google cancels big event

Google has canceled its biggest annual event because of the coronavirus threat. The 2020 edition of Google I/O, which is an annual developer conference to be held on May 12 to 14 at Google’s Mountainview headquarters, will not push through this year.

“Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre,” the tech giant posted on its website.