Commander of the 0706/Temanggung District Military Command Lt Col Czi Kurniawan Hartanto stated on Wednesday that the District Military Command had collaborated with the local Health Office and prison to vaccinate inmates in a bid to boost immunity against COVID-19.
Hartanto noted that his side had decided to conduct vaccination at the prison since the inmates could not be taken for inoculation at Kodim.
"Yesterday, we went to GKI (Indonesian Christian Church) to conduct vaccination, and now to the prison, while tomorrow, we plan to go to another location. We are doing this to get closer to the community and also to avoid crowding," he explained.
Related news: Surviving the pandemic behind prison walls
Hartanto noted that several people were keen to partake in vaccinations now, although it was earlier rejected by some people, especially vaccination for older adults.
Hartanto confirmed that the Kodim had, so far, administered vaccination to around 9,700 people.
Temanggung Prison Head, Endus, expressed gratitude to the 0706/Temanggung Kodim for offering assistance to his side to provide vaccinations to prisoners.
"We support the government's program in handling the COVID-19 pandemic by administering vaccination to the inmates at Temanggung Prison," he noted.
Implementation of COVID-19 vaccination at the prison went smoothly. However, some inmates appeared jittery when they were about to get injected, with some even getting teary and had to be held by other inmates.
The Indonesian government has begun conducting vaccinations nationwide since January 13, 2021, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, with President Jokowi being the first recipient of the vaccine. Related news: 16 inmates in Pekanbaru prison test positive for COVID-19
Translator: Heru Suyitno, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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