INDONESIA reported 54,517 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, surpassing the number of infections per day in hard-hit India.
This is a single-day national record for the world’s fourth most populated country in the world.
Home to 270 million people, Indonesia is now considered the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
If the spread continues unabated, experts say it could push Indonesia’s health care system to the brink of disaster.
Another 991 fatalities were also reported due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, pushing the total death toll to 69,210.
State-run Antara News reported that 90,000 of Indonesia’s 120,000 hospital beds are occupied, most of which were running out of oxygen.
Health experts say Indonesia is now reaping the costs of not implementing strict lockdowns and not investing on standardized contract tracing system.
Bali and Java islands were placed under emergency lockdown last week.
