Keep up the Vaccination Momentum

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

A woman gets an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine branded AstraZeneca, during a mass vaccination event in Manado, North Sulawesi, Wednesday (24/3/2021).

As of the third week of March 2021, around 5.9 million Indonesians have received Covid-19 vaccines. Though Indonesia is considered one of the earliest countries to begin with vaccinations, the country needs to boost its inoculation drive.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has urged on a number of occasions to accelerate the country’s vaccination program, including during his visit to East Java a few days ago.

The President, from the very beginning, deemed the vaccine a “game changer.” We have also pegged hopes on the vaccination program to change the country’s strategy for overcoming the pandemic from passive to active defense. The devastating pandemic has been haunting the world for more than a year, infecting 124 million people by the third week of March and taking the lives of 2.73 million people worldwide.

Indonesia certainly does not want to be left behind in the “race” to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.

All countries, at different levels, are taking various steps necessary to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. All resources are mobilized, so that the outbreak can be overcome immediately. This is understandable, as the reputation of states and their governments are at stake. Success in effectively tackling the pandemic is an achievement. A number of countries have been recognized for such achievement.

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Indonesia certainly does not want to be left behind in the “race” to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the vaccine came around, all we could do was to protect ourselves through the enforcement of the so-called 3M health protocol of mask-wearing, handwashing and physical distancing, which then became the 5M protocol as avoiding crowds and reducing mobility were added on, as well as the 3T protocol of testing, tracing and treatment. Vaccines are our additional means for fighting the virus.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Vaccinators prepare the Covid-19 vaccine in mass vaccination for the elderly at the Center for Health Training in Jakarta, Wednesday (24/3/2021).

The country can secure its vaccine supply through the allocation of large funds and excellent diplomacy, considering that all countries want to get their hands on the vaccines as early as possible. People are now familiar with the term “vaccine nationalism”.

Millions of people have been vaccinated so far, and it is hoped that the program will be accelerated in the coming months, not only because the availability of vaccines has increased, but also because the number of vaccinators as well as public enthusiasm continue to grow.

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Nearing Ramadan, we are assured by the fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) that vaccination does not invalidate out fasting. It was agreed that, during the fasting month, people can get their vaccine shot both during the day and at night. Apart from providing alternatives for the public, this is also expected to accelerate the expansion of the country’s vaccination coverage.

It is our interest that vaccination can be carried out as quickly as possible, considering the list of things that concern us, from restoring our life rhythm to recovering the economy, which is not only related to economic growth, but also the consequences that come with it, such as job creation and the guarantee of people’s welfare.

There is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do, considering that the country has to inoculate 181.5 million people to achieve herd immunity. Let us keep up the vaccination momentum, so that we can quickly put behind us the Covid-19 pandemic.

This article was translated by Camilia Adianti.