Jakarta (ANTARA) - Women Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Minister Bintang Puspayoga emphasized that the government had targeted to expedite vaccination for children in the age bracket of 12-17 years to re-open schools for commencement of face-to-face learning.

"The government is accelerating vaccination drives in schools to reach the target," Puspayoga noted in her press release here, Thursday.

Minister Puspayoga along with Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi and Chief of Committee III of Indonesian Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) Slyviana Murni paid a visit to Al Azhar 31 Islamic Junior High School in Summarecon Bekasi and SMP 5 Bekasi to observe the children vaccination process.

The minister lauded schools for conducting vaccination that was able to separate children from the crowds created during mass vaccination.

"Children could avoid crowds from the massive vaccination program. It will be safer for the kids by conducting vaccination at school," she conveyed.

Puspayoga later emphasized that teachers played an important role in providing information about the importance of vaccination to their students.

"The kids need to be educated about vaccination because by being vaccinated, they can help to curb the spread of COVID-19," the minister affirmed.

Puspayoga also reminded children to always abide by health protocols, such as wearing masks, washing hands in running water, maintaining social distancing, avoiding crowds, reducing mobility, and avoiding eating with others.

Earlier, the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI) had allowed children in the age group of 12-17 years to be administered the Sinovac vaccine. The IDAI suggested administering the Sinovac vaccine to children since it was proven safe and had cleared the phase 1 and 2 of clinical trials.

Until August 4, some 48 million Indonesians were administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while over 21 million people in Indonesia had been fully vaccinated. Indonesia aims to vaccinate 208 million people in order to achieve herd immunity.

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Translator: Anita D, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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