"Please accelerate vaccinations and prepare scenarios so when vaccines have been received, vaccinations can be executed quickly," he said on Wednesday while visiting the Indramayu district head's hall.
He also cited a report from the Indramayu district government, which has shown that vaccination coverage in the district is still low.
The government's COVID-19 vaccination program is targeting two-thirds of the population of Indramayu district, which is pegged at around 1.8 million, the minister said. However, currently, only 11 percent of the targeted population has been vaccinated, he pointed out.
Karnavian acknowledged that the low vaccination coverage in Indramayu district is related to the limited supply of vaccines received by local governments from the central government.
"Currently, only 215 thousand residents have been injected. This is due to the minimal supply of vaccines received," he observed.
Under such conditions, it is essential for the district government of Indramayu to prepare scenarios so that vaccinations can be quickly carried out whenever a supply of vaccines is received, Karnavian said.
"People are enthusiastic about partaking in the vaccination program. For that reason, the execution must be done fast and without causing crowds," he remarked.
In a bid to boost immunity and break the chain of COVID-19 transmission, the Indonesian government rolled out a free vaccination program on January 13, 2021. President Joko Widodo was the first to receive a COVID jab under the program.
According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of July 28, 2021, as many as 45,734,912 citizens have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 19,103,162 citizens have been fully vaccinated.
Related news: Ensure availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia's regions: DPR
Related news: President orders immediate utilization of remaining vaccine stocks
Translator: Khaerul Izan, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
