His body temperature was recorded at 36.3 degrees Celsius and blood pressure at 130/60Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Merdeka Presidential Palace, here, Wednesday, 48 hours after the Indonesian food and drug monitoring agency authorized its emergency use.
Before receiving the first jab, Jokowi, as he is popularly known, underwent a brief health checkup conducted by his physician Prof. Abdul Mutalib. He measured Jokowi's blood pressure and body temperature while confirming that the president had never tested positive for coronavirus.
"His body temperature was recorded at 36.3 degrees Celsius and blood pressure at 130/60," the physician stated while giving the president the green light to receive the vaccine shot.
During the inoculation, held during an event broadcast live on national television, the physician’s hands appeared to tremor slightly as he administered the first COVID-19 vaccine shot to Jokowi.
However, Mutalib remarked that the vaccination went smoothly, as the president experienced no bleeding or muscle soreness after the jab.
For the final part, Jokowi was requested to wait for 30 minutes as his physician would observe the president for a likely allergic reaction after the vaccination.
Apart from the president, some cabinet members, social media influencers, and TV stars, as well as a few health workers were among the first ones in line to be receiving the vaccine shot at the Merdeka Palace, Wednesday.
The Indonesian government has set a target to inoculate a total of 1.48 million health workers from Thursday (January 14) onwards and all through February, while a total of 17.4 million public workers in the high-risk category will be next in line.
The health authority has, until now, managed to secure over 300 million doses of vaccines from various sources, including Sinovac, Novavax, COVAX Facility, Pfiizer-BioNTech, and AstraZeneca.
"Vaccination is important to break the chain of coronavirus infection, and it offers health protection and safety to all Indonesian citizens. It will help us in accelerating economic recovery," President Jokowi noted in his speech at the palace that was aired on national television.
Despite having already received the vaccine shot, Jokowi urged people to continue to follow health protocols, including wearing mask, maintaining personal hygiene, and avoiding crowds.
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