Indonesia seeks to increase production of Covid-19 test kits; reports 1,051 new infections, death toll at 47,896

A nurse takes a swab sample from a man at the Tanah Abang district office in Central Jakarta. Indonesia reported 1,051 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday (June 23), taking its total number of cases to 47,896. The death toll is at 2,535. - The Jakarta Post/Asian News Network

JAKARTA, June 23 (The Jakarta Post/ANN): The Indonesian government is aiming to increase the country's production capacity of Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits to 2 million units a month, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said.

“Should Indonesia be able to produce the number, (we) will be able to meet domestic needs,” Muhadjir said, adding that the idea had been conveyed to President “Jokowi” Widodo, who was also supportive of the plan.