Chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) Riau Islands Province, Rusdani, said that currently 96 doctors have been exposed to COVID-19 in the local area, 4 of whom have died.
“The four doctors who died consisted of 2 people in Tanjungpinang City, 1 person in Batam City, and 1 person in Natuna Regency,” Rusnadi said in Tanjungpinang, as reported by Antara, Wednesday, January 13.
He detailed that a total of 96 doctors infected with COVID-19 were spread across seven city / regencies throughout Riau Islands :
- Batam City has 82 people,
- Tanjungpinang City 4 people,
- Natuna Regency 4 people,
- Karimun Regency 3 people,
- Anambas Regency 1 people,
- Lingga Regency 1 people,
- Bintan Regency 1 people.
He said that most doctors who contracted COVID-19 had recovered. However, some are still doing self-quarantine at home.
The doctors who were confirmed positive came from the travel cluster outside the region until they contracted them while treating COVID-19 patients.
“Most hospital clusters handle COVID-19,” he said.
Rusdani did not deny that doctors were at high risk of being exposed to COVID-19 because they were at the forefront of handling the virus.
Therefore, one effort that needs to be done is that doctors must be vaccinated against COVID-19 so that they can increase the body’s immunity to fight the virus.
In addition, he said, doctors who serve patients must comply with 3M’s health protocols, namely wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining distance.
IDI also appealed to doctors, especially in hospitals, to be more disciplined in using personal protective equipment (PPE) when on duty.
“The Riau Islands Provincial Health Office guarantees that PPE which is intended for doctors and other health workers, is currently very sufficient,” said Rusdani.
