JAKARTA: Deaths of doctors from COVID-19 in Indonesia rose sharply in the first half of July, according to the profession’s association, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus fuelled a surge in infections across the country.

A total of 114 doctors died during Jul 1 to Jul 17, the highest number reported for any period of similar length and more than 20 per cent of the 545 total doctor deaths from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, officials from Indonesia’s doctors association (IDI) said during a virtual news conference.

Mahesa Paranadipa, a senior IDI official, said the association was concerned that the medical system may not be able to cope, according to a recording of the event.

“We are worried about the potential of a functional collapse,” Paranadipa said. “This is the reported data, not yet data that may not have been reported to us.”

Doctors’ deaths have increased in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most-populous nation, despite a 95 per cent vaccination rate among health workers. This has prompted the government to use a batch of Moderna vaccines as booster shots to China’s Sinovac for healthcare workers.

READ: Grappling with ‘worst-case scenario’, Indonesia faces more COVID-19 pain

READ: Indonesia considers extending restrictions on movement as COVID-19 cases climb

Fuelled by the spread of the more virulent Delta variant, Indonesia has reported more new coronavirus cases than any country in the world in recent days, data from the latest seven-day average from a Reuters tracker showed. It was second only to Brazil in terms of the number of deaths.

Health experts are calling the country the new epicentre of the pandemic. Indonesia reported 44,721 cases and 1,093 new deaths from the virus on Sunday (Jul 18).

The government imposed strict mobility curbs on Jul 3 to slow the spread of the virus. They are set to end on Tuesday, but may be extended.

Adib Khumaidi, head of the IDI’s mitigation team, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comments.

A giant banner with a picture of Prayut – the mastermind of a 2014 coup – was unfurled on the road, with protesters then stomping on his face.

As they marched on the Government House, they were led by a frontline group wearing gas masks and hard hats and were joined by motorbike drivers who hoisted the mock body bags.

But authorities deployed water cannon early and blocked the main road, forcing protesters to retreat.

Authorities also fired rubber bullets and tear gas, according to AFP reporters on the ground.

It sent protesters scattering, coughing non-stop as they tried to rinse their eyes with saline solution.

By late afternoon, the two sides were standing off as clouds of gas rose in the air.

It remains unclear how many were injured.

“JUST GIVE US GOOD VACCINES”

Exactly one year ago, thousands of protesters amassed at the Democracy Monument calling for Prayut’s resignation, the rewriting of the constitution and reforms to the kingdom’s long-unassailable monarchy.

Prayut had managed to hold onto power after 2019 elections – which were held under an army-scripted constitution – while popular opposition figures were increasingly hit with legal troubles.

That protest marked the beginning of a movement that has widened the discourse on taboo topics, including the role of the royal family – protected under a defamation law.

But as the impact of COVID-19 rapidly chipped away at Thailand’s economy, the government’s handling of the pandemic has become one of the movement’s main grievances.

Thailand announced earlier this week it would pair a dose of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine with the UK-developed AstraZeneca after authorities found that hundreds of medical staff who received Sinovac jabs had contracted the virus.

READ: Thailand defends COVID-19 vaccine ‘mix-and-match’ after WHO warning

READ: Thailand expands lockdown areas as COVID-19 cases surge

“You do not need to do any mix-and-match vaccines – just give us good vaccines,” demanded a young protester Sunday.

Acclaimed Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul also highlighted the country’s situation on Saturday during his acceptance speech for the jury prize at Cannes for “Memoriam”.

“I’m really lucky to be standing here and while many of my countrymen cannot travel. Many of them suffer greatly from the pandemic with the mismanagement of resources, of health care and vaccine accessibility,” he said.

“I want to call out for the Thai and Colombian government (where ‘Memoriam’ was filmed) … to please wake up and work for your people now.”

Thailand currently has more than 403,000 cases and a death toll of 3,341. Sunday saw a single-day record in new infections – more than 11,000 – while Saturday brought a new high in deaths with 141 dead.

MUMBAI: At least 23 people were killed after several homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India’s financial capital Mumbai, authorities said on Sunday (Jul 18).

Rainwater also inundated a water purification complex, disrupting supply “in most of the parts of Mumbai”, a megacity of 20 million people, civic authorities said.

A falling tree demolished a wall in the eastern suburb of Chembur during Sunday’s early hours, burying nearby residents, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said.

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the rubble, it added, with rescue operations ongoing.

“In the adjacent house, I saw a small girl who was trapped in the debris. She was shouting ‘save me, save me’,” Firoz Khan, who was caught up in the downpour in Chembur, told AFP.

“Her body was trapped in the mud. Somehow, I managed to pull her out. She had injuries in her legs. I narrowly survived this collapse.”

Another resident, Manda Gautam Pradhan, said she had seen “rocks and mud … gushing down the hill along with the rainwater”.

READ: 3-storey building collapses in India in heavy rain, kills 11

READ: At least 2 dead after heavy rains swamp hilly northern Indian state

In the suburb of Vikhroli in the city’s northeast, six people were killed after a landslide hit five homes early on Sunday, the NDRF added.

Building collapses are common during India’s June to September monsoon season, with old and rickety structures buckling under days of non-stop rain.

Last month, 12 people were killed when a building collapsed in a Mumbai slum.

And last September, 39 people died when a three-storey apartment block collapsed in Bhiwandi near the financial capital.

Mumbai has been hit by downpours since Saturday, with local transport services affected.

The city’s civic body did not say when the water supply was expected to be restored, but advised residents to boil the liquid before using it.

The Indian Meteorological Department said early Sunday that “moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers” were forecast for the next two days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences and added that there would be financial compensation for victims’ families.