"We have facilitated as many as 200 people to get vaccinated using the AstraZeneca vaccine. We expect that in the future, more people will be facilitated to help reach a group immunity against COVID-19," West Bangka Water Police Chief Adjunct Commissioner Candra Wijaya said in Mentok on Monday.
The vaccination program for residents in coastal areas was conducted at the West Bangka Water Police Unit Office in Tanjunglaut Village and involved healthcare workers and vaccinators from the Mentok Public Health Center and the Kundi Public Health Center, he informed.
"This COVID-19 vaccine injection is the first dose. The public's interest in getting vaccine injections is currently quite high," he remarked.
According to Wijaya, vaccinations are organized at the venue because the targeted residents have been more active at sea and have been reluctant to get inoculated at existing vaccine outlets because of the distance and long queues involved.
Related news: Navy organizes vaccinations for maritime community in Serang
"Participants in the coastal residents vaccination are mostly fishermen, ship crew members and residents who live in fishing villages. This is our initiative so that they also get vaccine injections, so that they can be protected from severe impacts should they contract the virus," he said.
Head of the Mentok Public Health Center, Hariyanto, who was also present at the mass vaccination program, said the AstraZeneca vaccine was used in the activity, and the second dose was planned to be administered in three months' time at the same venue.
"Before receiving the vaccine, prospective participants are being educated about the adverse effects following immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine. This is our effort to support in the acceleration towards group immunity so that later they (their area) can (be considered) green zone," he explained.
To accelerate the achievement of communal immunity against COVID-19, the local government has also held mass vaccinations in several locations, such as the Mentok Public Health Center, Kundi, Simpangteritip, Jebus, Puput, Sekarbiru, Kelapa, Tempilang, and the Mentok Indonesian Tin Museum, he added.
Related news: Navy rolls out vaccinations for Labuan Bajo residents
Translator: Donatus D P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
