Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) witnessed the implementation of COVID-19 mass vaccination for traders at the Tanah Abang wholesale garment and textile market, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.

On arrival at the Tanah Abang Market at 8:51 a.m. local time, President Jokowi was greeted by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

Jokowi immediately headed for the vaccination site at the terrace of the market's mosque on the 12th floor at Block A and the 8th floor that is part of the market's food court.

Some 1,500-2000 traders at the Tanah Abang Market are expected to receive the vaccine shots. A total of 9,791 traders will receive the vaccine jab at the market in the first batch.

Indonesia has been conducting a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program since January 13, 2021, and it has been running smoothly, with no complaints, so far, reported against China’s Sinovac vaccine.

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President Joko Widodo has received two vaccine doses on January 13 and January 27, 2021, without any adverse reaction.

The government has set a target to inoculate 181,554,464 people, or 70 percent of the total population of Indonesia, with the aim of building herd immunity against the coronavirus.

Medical workers on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 have been accorded priority in the vaccine program. The next in line to be inoculated under the vaccination program are public service officers, including police and military personnel.

State-owned vaccine manufacturer PT Bio Farma (Persero) has confirmed that COVID-19 vaccines will be allocated for public service officers, including the Indonesian military and police, at the end of February this year.

Each person covered by the vaccine program will require to be administered two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This means Indonesia will need 362 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate 181 million people.

Up until now, the country has received 28 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine and vaccine candidate from Sinovac. (INE)

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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Fardah
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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