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Hope from Blood Plasma

The super-virus that causes COVID-19 in Indonesia is taking more and more victims and is estimated to have not yet reached its peak. In the midst of this difficulty is some good news, like a light at the end of the tunnel. The Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology immediately started the treatment of COVID-19 patients using blood plasma from patients who have been declared healthy. This method can be called plasma recovery. On Monday (20/4/2020), head of the Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology Amin Subandrio said his agency, with the support of the Food and Drug Agency (Badan POM) and the Health Ministry, was ready to implement the plasma recovery method treatment in the coming weeks. On Tuesday (28/4), Kompas reported, state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Biopharma and Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital joined in this fast-moving innovation.

Perlombaan Menciptakan Vaksin

Ikhtiar umat manusia itu dimaksudkan agar kita segera mendapatkan penangkal dari ancaman infeksi ganas korona. Karena hak hidup setiap orang adalah penting. Kita mencermati banyak negara bersicepat membuat vaksin Covid-19 yang kini kian mengganas. Banyak komentar, kritik, dan pujian muncul terkait ikhtiar ini. Media sosial riuh dengan pendapat yang berdasarkan pengetahuan. Namun, banyak juga asal puji atau kritik tanpa mau tahu secara mendalam isu ini. Mari kita coba dengan kepala dingin memahami ”lomba” membuat vaksin demi mengatasi pandemi yang kini setiap hari menginfeksi hampir 300.000 orang ini. Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin baru saja mengumumkan, negaranya jadi yang pertama berhasil memproduksi vaksin pada 11 Agustus lalu. Vaksin ini akan segera digunakan untuk vaksinasi massal pada Oktober mendatang. Putin mengatakan, vaksin itu aman dan putrinya sendiri menjadi salah satu sukarelawan uji klinis. Vaksin ini diberi nama Sputnik V, meneruskan nama Sputnik I, satelit Rusia yang pada 1957 jadi wahana luar angkasa pertama di dunia, mengalahkan AS. Rusia mengklaim, sudah ada 20 negara yang memesan lebih dari 1 miliar vaksin Sputnik V.

Pandemi, Momentum Mendayagunakan Inovasi

PANDEMI panjang covid-19 telah memuramkan semua sektor kehidupan. Perekonomian hancur, ekspor melorot, pendapatan negara anjlok, dan sebaliknya utang meningkat untuk menutup defisit neraca perdagangan.  Bahkan, negara yang selama ini dikenal kuat secara ekonomi, seperti Amerika Serikat, Jerman, Korea Selatan, Singapura, dan Hong Kong, sudah resmi menyatakan memasuki resesi. Berarti dua triwulan pertama 2020 tumbuh negatif dan belum ada prospek triwulan berikutnya akan mentas resesi.  Demikian juga di sektor pendidikan. Sudah lima bulan sekolah dan kampus ditutup dari aktivitas pembelajaran offline. Upaya untuk menutupi dengan menggunakan metode pembelajaran online masih banyak menemui kendala, baik pada jaringan infrastruktur, bandwidth, minimnya anggaran, maupun kesulitan lokasi geografis. Benar bahwa sekarang marak model seminar online atau webinar. Namun, efektivitasnya dirasakan masih kalah jauh jika dibanding dengan model seminar tatap muka atau offl ine. Demikian juga jika model pembelajaran tatap muka, jika hendak digeser menjadi pembelajaran online, secara nasional masih jauh dari kesiapan. 

Coronavirus Turns over Immunity into Weapon that Backfires

How does this virus attack the human body, and why can it cause victims to die very quickly – in 4 to 7 days? In patients with HIV/AIDS it generally takes years to become fatal.   Why is this new type of coronavirus so deadly? How does this virus attack the human body, and why can it cause victims to die very quickly – in 4 to 7 days? In patients with HIV/AIDS it generally takes years to become fatal. If HIV/AIDS is like a guerrilla war, Covid-19 destroys victims in a blitzkrieg. The damage caused is described in a video circulating in social media. Doctor Keith Mortman, head of thoracic surgery at George Washington University Hospital, used 3D modeling to show how quickly Covid-19 attacks the lungs, from the stage of flooding the alveoli to the stage where the lungs stop functioning. The whole process from the beginning of the infection up to lung failure only takes a week if the patient has no immunity. “I want people to see this and understand what can be done. People need to take this seriously,” he says in the video.

Industry 4.0 and Health Services

President Jokowi has chosen Dr. Terawan Agus Putranto as the health minister for the second term of his administration. What is the direction of the Health Ministry’s health policy to answer challenges in the future? Before getting there, it is better for us to review the achievements of the health sector over the past five years. The most monumental breakthrough of the first period of Jokowi’s administration was the application of national health insurance through the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS). This is arguably a revolutionary policy in the health sector. Nevertheless, this policy still bears serious problems. The main problem that has not been resolved until now is the overdraft of BPJS financing. Hundreds of partner hospitals have not been paid by BPJS, causing some to go bankrupt. The commotion of the BPJS deficit has colored news throughout the year. Indonesia has the second highest prevelance in ASEAN (under Timor Leste) in terms of the number of stunted children due to lack of nutrition. This is certainly not something to be proud of.