Indonesia reports highest daily COVID-19 death toll, Philippines deploys police to quarantine patients

Hanoi (VNA) – The Indonesian Ministry of Health reported 87 new coronavirus deaths on July 15, its biggest daily jump, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,797.

Indonesia also reported 1,522 COVID-19 infections, putting the overall tally at 80,094 cases.

In the Philippines, police are being deployed to ensure people who test positive for the coronavirus and cannot self-isolate at home are taken to state-run quarantine centres.

The move comes as authorities step up efforts to slow the rapid spread of the disease by increasing testing, re-imposing lockdowns, and building dozens of quarantine centres for patients with mild symptoms.

To clamp down on local transmission, police are accompanying health workers to the homes of people who have tested positive and taking them to government facilities if their homes are considered inadequate for self-isolation or if they live with "vulnerable" people. All expenses are covered by the Philippine government.

The Philippines already has more than 8,300 quarantine centres with over 73,000 beds. To handle the growing number of cases, the government plans to build 50 more facilities.

After imposing one of the world's longest lockdowns, the country has been easing restrictions in recent weeks, fuelling a surge in new infections.

It had 58,850 confirmed cases on July 15, with 1,614 deaths./.