Indonesia official says vaccines help Jakarta reach 'herd immunity'

JAKARTA: Weeks after the Delta variant of the coronavirus ripped through Jakarta, the Indonesian capital has reached "herd immunity", the city's deputy governor said, ahead of an expected decision by the president on Monday on whether to extend COVID-19 curbs.

For much of last month, Jakarta was devastated by the outbreak with inundated hospitals, oxygen shortages and COVID-19 patients dying at home, but in recent weeks case numbers have dropped sharply, while vaccination rates have climbed. On July 12, Jakarta recorded more than 14,600 infections, but by Sunday the figure had fallen to 700.