Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Banjarmasin Mayor H Ibnu Sina said as many as 183 health workers from the city government have been exposed to COVID-19 to this day.
As a result, he said, the handling of COVID-19 in the city is quite difficult, because many frontline fighters in handling COVID-19 have contracted COVID-19.
"Some of them even succumbed," he said.
To maximized the handling of COVID-19 at the hospitals and community health centers, the city government has recruited 47 health workers, especially nurses, at the Sultan Suriansyah Hospital.
"It is because the Sultan Suriansyah Hospital has added 75 beds for COVID-19 patients to bring the total to 125 beds," he said.
In addition, he continued, there is an additional of one doctor and 10 midwives to take part in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
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Meanwhile, most health workers who were exposed to COVID-19 underwent self-isolation.
"We hope in one or two weeks many will recover, so they can return to helping treat the increasing COVID-19 patients who are being treated," he said.
Head of Health Office Machli Riyadi said that in one of 26 community health centers (puskesmas) in the city 15 of its health workers must undergo self-isolation due to contracting COVID-19.
The large number of health workers who were exposed to COVID-19, he said, has become an obstacle for the office to increase the tracking of COVID-19 transmission in the community.
"But we are grateful that we receive the assistance of about 104 people who will be on duty in the field to track the spread of COVID-19, they will work in 52 urban villages," he said.
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