The government is committed to accelerating the Covid-19 vaccination program while trying to increase the supply of vaccines both from foreign and domestic producers.
By
Kompas Team
·5 minutes read
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has asked all local governments, both in provinces and regencies or cities, to accelerate the Covid-19 vaccination drive. Until now, the vaccination coverage for priority groups, especially the elderly, is still very low.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — After slowing down during the month of Ramadan and Idul Fitri holidays, efforts to carry out Covid-19 vaccination will be accelerated again. In July 2021, the government will further expand the targeted recipients to increase the vaccination rate to at least one million people per day.
President Jokowi had asked all regional governments to speed the Covid-19 vaccination program. This month (June), the number of people receiving the Covid-19 vaccine is expected to reach about 700,000 people per day.
"I hope mass vaccination is not just carried out here. Other regions are also expected to move quickly," President Jokowi said after reviewing the mass Covid-19 vaccination at the University of Indonesia Hospital (RS UI) in Pondok Cina, Depok, West Java on Wednesday (9/6/2021).
The President was accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, Depok Mayor Mohammad Idris, the UI’s rector, Ari Kuncoro, and the president director of the RS UI hospital, Astuti Giantini. The mass vaccination at the RS UI hospital was targeting 1,500 educators, elderly citizens and public servants. A drive-thru vaccination service was also provided for drivers of two-wheeled and four-wheeled transportation services.
The President also monitored the mass vaccination at the Indoor Stadium, Kelapa Dua Sport Center, Tangerang Regency, Banten. President Jokowi was accompanied by Tangerang Regent Ahmed Zaki Iskandar and Banten Governor Wahidin Halim. According to Zaki, the vaccination rate in the Tangerang regency has reached 10,000 people per day
Acceleration
Spokesperson for the Covid-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that the central government had encouraged regional governments to increase the targeted Covid-19 vaccine recipient s. With the increase in the number of the people getting vaccinated, the transmission of the disease could be reduced, he added.
“The government is committed to accelerating the Covid-19 vaccination program while trying to increase the supply of vaccines both from foreign and domestic producers. The high-risk populations such as the elderly must be prioritized,” he said.
According to the Health Ministry’s data, as of June 9, 202, the number of the people who have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine totaled only 11.4 million people or 28.34 percent of the target. Of the total number, 1.3 million people were health workers, 7.6 million public servants, and 2.3 million elderly citizens.
The ministry through the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control has approved the Jakarta administration to expand the Covid-19 vaccination target to residents aged 18 years and above. But, health workers, the elderly, public service workers, and vulnerable groups living in slum areas, as well as people with mental disorders, remain a priority.
Spokesperson for the Health Ministry for the Covid-19 Vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that the ministry supported Jakarta’s recipient target expansion because the vaccination coverage of the elderly in the capital was better than in other provinces. In addition, Jakarta had the potential to experience resurgence in the new cases following Idul Fitri holidays.
In some areas, the pace of the vaccination program is slowing. In Aceh, for example, only 300,000 people out of the targeted 3.3 million people have received the vaccine. The Aceh provincial government has organized mass vaccination programs to further increase the vaccination rate.
According to the head of the disease prevention department at the Aceh Health Office, Iman Murahman, the local government was holding mass vaccinations from June 3 to June 12. "The mass vaccination prioritizes public servants and the elderly, but the general public can also register," he said.
In Papua, the Covid-19 vaccination program has not yet been implemented in a number of districts, including Waropen, Nduga, and Puncak Jaya. Last week, a number of regions have stopped the vaccination activities including for the elderly.
The vaccination coverage in the Riau Islands has reached 16.4 percent. Batam became the area with the highest rate with 123,597 people.
According to the head of the surveillance and immunization section of the Health Office, Lingga Melyanti, the local health office had received two batches of vaccine supplies, which arrived on March 8 and May 18, respectively.
The vaccination coverage in the Anambas, Natuna, and Lingga Islands is still below 10,000 people. According to the head of the surveillance and immunization section of the Health Office, Lingga Melyanti, the local health office had received two batches of vaccine supplies, which arrived on March 8 and May 18, respectively.
In the midst of the slowing implementation of the vaccination program, especially for the elderly, a number of regencies and cities experienced a significant spike in Covid-19 cases. The Covid-19 Handling Task Force as of 8 June 2021 noted that the resurgence of new cases in nine regencies and cities including Kudus, Jepara, Semarang City, and Cimahi was “worrying”.
The bed occupancy rate at the Covid-19 referral hospital beds in these regions has exceeded 70 percent. In fact, the bed occupancy rate of hospitals in Demak, Kudu, Pati, Jepara, Semarang and Bandung has reached 80 percent.
According to Wiku, the increase in new cases and the bed occupancy rate are important indicators to determine the severity of the Covid-19 transmission. If cases rise and beds are not available, it means the transmission is out of control. (TAN/AIN/ FLO/ NDU)
(This article was translated byHendarsyah Tarmizi)