Jakarta Readies More Beds as Virus Overwhelms Health System

  • Capital to increase Covid-19 hospital capacity to 10,000 beds
  • Indonesia had another record increase in virus cases on Monday
A medical worker speaks with a driver at a drive through Covid-19 testing site in Jakarta on Sept. 14.Photographer: Ed Wray/Getty Images
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Indonesia’s capital is adding thousands of beds to house Covid-19 patients as its health system struggles with record increases in virus cases.

The system is “already overwhelmed,” said Jossep William, coordinator of volunteer department at the task force for handling the pandemic, adding that ambulances haven’t stopped running for days to transport patients. “We can still contain the patient flow for now but if it continues like this, our health system will collapse.”