On the frontlines of the fight against the novel coronavirus are our healthcare workers, who not only risk their own health as they take care of infected patients but are stretched to the limit as COVID-19 cases continue to increase across the country.
In a tweet that has since gone viral, one nurse from Bogor, West Java is reminding everyone to heed calls to stay at home, as he posted a photo of himself getting an intravenous drip at the hospital he works at.
Please #dirumahaja gw dan tim udah mulai didoping, sekian. pic.twitter.com/RCRv1HbmlC
— Yayang (@cahyadianugrah) March 31, 2020
“Please #StayAtHome, me and my colleagues have started to require doping, that’s all,” the nurse, Cahyadi Anugrah, tweeted on Tuesday.
In using the word “doping” here, Cahyadi meant that he was getting a boost to his immune system using the IV drip, considering he’s dealing directly with sick patients. He was not referring to the drugs athletes use to enhance their performance prior to competitions.
The Indonesian government has advised the public to take part in the social distancing movement since mid-March as part of an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, but some people are still out and about regardless, even holding events that gather crowds amid the outbreak.
Cukup kita yang di infus biar pada kuat berperang. jangan ngeyel nanti bobo nya pake kelambu bening gitu… Mau? #DiRumahAjaYa pic.twitter.com/mpcV3nd6Tv
— Sein vater Athaya (@CahyadiAnugrah) March 31, 2020
“It should just be us [healthcare workers] getting IV drips to stay strong in this fight. Don’t be stubborn, or else you’ll sleep under a transparent bed net… Do you want it? #StayAtHome,” Cahyadi wrote in a follow-up tweet.
Cahyadi’s tweet received an outpouring of support from netizens, many of whom replied with artworks depicting medical workers as heroes.
Semangat kang… Sehat selalu buat semua tim medis yang udah berjuang 🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/I2Rw7x9wIl
— ᮃᮜᮤ (@alghazaliii96) March 31, 2020
“Keep your spirit up, Kang… Hope all members of the medical team who have been fighting are always in good health”
Semangat tim medis kuuuuu💪🏻, nih aku kasih coretan🥺 pic.twitter.com/MC0Po9ddVZ
— jaraheem (@maidjarrahimm) April 1, 2020
“Keep your spirit up, my medical team. Here I give you my scribblings”
Hormaaat graaaak pic.twitter.com/cDI4SSv46Q
— Yan Budi Nugroho (@yanbudi18) April 1, 2020
According to a report from Detik, Cahyadi is among the nurses caring for at least eight patients under observation in the isolation room at the hospital.
In another thread, Cahyadi shared how his children have been staying at his parents’ home in the last two weeks. His wife, also a health worker, is right in the middle of the fight against COVID-19 as well.
“I have been sworn, whether through my profession or as a servant of the state. This is a humanitarian [cause]; my parents and wife accept that I have to leave [them behind] while fighting the good fight,” Cahyadi told Detik yesterday.
As of yesterday afternoon, Indonesia has confirmed 1,677 cases of COVID-19, including 157 deaths and 103 recoveries.
Indonesia currently faces a crucial shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), in which many doctors and nurses in Jakarta and other cities have fallen ill due to fatigue or getting infected by the novel coronavirus themselves. Dozens of them have unfortunately succumbed to the viral disease.
If you would like to donate money for the procurement of protective gear and other essential medical equipment to aid our healthcare workers in their fight against COVID-19, check out our list of trustworthy local charities here.
