Jakarta’s Oxygen Rollercoaster
What happens when a city runs out of oxygen and the market turns into a wild ride? Jakarta’s latest story shows that oxygen is no longer a freebie—it’s now a pricey commodity, and some suppliers are racing to keep up with a soaring demand.
Prices Soar, Supply Stumbles
- Oxygen prices in the capital jumped from a comfortable 50% to over double that in just a few days, leaving hospitals and desperate patients scrambling.
- One supplier even confessed to a slow‑moving “stock‑till‑depleted” situation, citing a sudden surge of new patients.
- Local health officials say this isn’t just about price—it’s about getting the right oxygen to those who need it most.
The Red Cross Sounds the Alarm
The Red Cross has thrown up a warning flag: “Corona catastrophe” on the horizon. This comes as Indonesia—Southeast Asia’s biggest country—faces more than 20,000 new Covid-19 cases daily.
Why the Surge?
- New variants that spread like wildfire are at the heart of the surge.
- After the holy month of fasting, people are moving around more, and the virus is hitching a ride.
- With the pandemic’s second wave, hospitals are back in a fever pitch.
What This Means for the City
Shortages mean patients are waiting, and kidneys are getting a too‑rigorous workout at the hospitals. The city’s racing to keep oxygen flowing, but the market’s finding that “a penny saved is a penny earned” has turned into a literal “penny-costed crisis.”
Hope in the Heaven of the Mess
While the situation looks grim, the Indonesian health community is hustling—portable oxygen machines, better logistics, and careful stockpiling—to keep the breath in the lungs of a nation that never stops moving forward.
<img alt="" data-caption="People rest on veld beds inside the emergency ward for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients at a government-run hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 29, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”023dff28-f2ad-43f6-9827-6b827ffd1e03″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20210630_peoplerestingonveldbeds_reuters.jpg”/>
Jakarta’s Oxygen Frenzy: Families Paying a Small Fortune to Keep Loved Ones Breathing
Hospitals in the capital are bursting at the seams, and patients are being turned away. As a result, folks in Jakarta are scrambling to buy oxygen tanks for sick relatives who’re fighting COVID-19 at home.
Prices Sky‑High
According to suppliers, a single tank is now selling for $140 (S$90)—a steep jump from the usual $50. That’s basically a one‑day ticket to keep a family member alive.
Real‑World Stories
- Taufik Hidayat (51) told Reuters, “I’m standing in line here to refill oxygen for my wife and son, who’re both COVID‑positive. I’ve been scrounging around and everything else is sold out.”
- Other vendors in Jakarta have reported that their stocks are about as empty as a 10‑year‑old bag of chips.
Why the Drought?
The spike in demand came because hospitals are at capacity and patients are being turned away. Instead of waiting for a bed, many families are resorting to buying oxygen at premium prices to keep their loved ones alive at home.
The Takeaway
With the surge in casualties and a shortage of resources, Jakarta’s health crisis is driving families into the market and into wallets. The situation underscores a stark reality: back‑home oxygen is no longer a down‑the‑road necessity but a present‑day lifeline.
<img alt="" data-caption="An employee adjusting a scarf on his face walks near oxygen cylinders at a factory amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 29, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”33b55764-4088-4c77-bb40-7b3337c17cd0″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/20210630_oxygencylinders_reuters.jpg”/>
Indonesia’s Oxygen Chaos: A Rapid‑Fire Update
Jakarta’s health office has the good news that the oxygen glitch is a temporary hiccup, not a permanent Lagos‑style crisis. “Distributors lack transport,” Sulung Mulia Putra, a Jakarta health official, told reporters.
But fear not—police, parks staff, and the Red Cross are stepping in to ferry oxygen pipes to hospitals.
Red‑Zone Overruns
- Jakarta’s “red zone” hospitals are practically packed: isolation beds are 93 % full as of June 27.
- Surge blamed on loosened protocols, high mobility, and a stubborn Delta variant.
- Senior Health Ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi said: “It’s a case creep that’s turning our medical facilities into overflow camps.”
Minister’s “Strict‑Controls” Push
The health minister is tightening controls as the Delta wave keeps rolling forward, according to insiders.
In a fiery statement, Jan Gelfand of the Indonesian delegation to the IFRC warned, “Every day feels like we’re inching closer to a Covid‑19 catastrophe.”
Vaccination Quest
Indonesia is banking on mass vaccination, but only 13.3 million of the 181.5 million targeted recipients have received both doses.
JAPAN is pitching in too—two million AstraZeneca shots are slated for delivery in July, says Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
So far, the country has registered 104 million doses. The mission is to cover 181.5 million people by January 2022.
Latest Figures
- +20,467 new infections reported on Tuesday.
- +463 new deaths, bringing totals to 2,156,465 cases and 58,024 deaths.
