A message from Dr Eugene Sebastian on the current COVID-19 situation in Indonesia

As parts of Australia enter lockdowns, to limit the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, we are all the more sensitive to the very sharp increases in cases breaking out across Indonesia.

We note with sadness the new daily records that are being broken in several provinces, and are aware too of what that will mean in terms of fatalities over the next few weeks.

We are hearing from our friends and colleagues of the toll that this latest surge is taking in their communities, and we send our best wishes to all those suffering with the illness for a speedy recovery.

We would also like to express our solidarity with, and admiration for, the incredibly hardworking medical and health workers who have been called upon to step-up and lead in the efforts to face this disease on a daily basis during these past 18 months.

While social media and video-conferences have been key to maintaining connections between people, nothing can compare to direct meetings. We look forward to being able to do so again in the near future.