The vaccinations began with health workers, both doctors and nursesJakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo on Wednesday promised to improve the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, including handling challenges in inoculating medical workers.
"The vaccinations began with health workers, both doctors and nurses. As it happens, in the beginning, there were management issues that needed to be taken care of, so as of today we have approximately 250 thousand health workers that have been vaccinated," he said in an interview from the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta.
“But, in the last one to two days, the number has gone up drastically, we can have 50 thousand (health workers inoculated) in a day," he added.
The President said the government will overcome the challenges in carrying out the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations and strive to reach its target.
The government is targeting to inoculate 181.5 million people. The first phase of the vaccination campaign kicked off on January 13, 2021, with health workers at the top of the list of shot receivers.
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In order to reach the target in a year, the government will need to inoculate up to one million citizens in a day, the Head of State said.
"As we have 30 thousand people to carry out the vaccination across around 10 thousand community health centers and three thousand hospitals that we have. But, it will take time and good management on the field, and I continue to communicate this to the Minister of Health," he added.
Meanwhile, head of the Indonesian Doctors Association Board, Daeng Mohammad Faqih, said vaccinations are vital for health workers as they come face to face with patients everyday.
The association is ready to assist medical health workers facing difficulties in getting the shots, he added.
"For our colleagues who face difficulties in accessing the vaccine, please contact your local branch of the association to be given access to register yourself for the vaccine, in order to ensure that the process goes smoothly," he stated.
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Translator: Hanni Sofia/Aria Cindyara
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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