Five thousand of the ten thousand packages have been distributed to those in need since August this year, BNN eradication division deputy, Arman Depari, said.
On Wednesday, BNN personnel distributed one thousand additional packages to residents in the Utan Kayu Selatan neighborhood area, he informed, adding that the distribution would be continued to other areas.
The staple food packages were provided by the agency in collaboration with communities of anti-drug volunteers and donors, Depari said.
The relief packages would hopefully reduce the burden on those severely affected by the impact of the novel coronavirus disease, he added.
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The COVID-19 pandemic that has hit Indonesia since March 2020 has significantly affected the country's economy and public health.
The Manpower Ministry recorded in November 2020 that the pandemic had affected nearly 29.12 million Indonesians from the working-age population.
Around 2.56 million people became jobless owing to the pandemic's impact, according to information accessed by ANTARA on the ministry's official website.
Coronavirus infections initially emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and then spread to various parts of the world, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by implementing healthcare protocols, intensifying vaccinations to help create a herd immunity, as well as enforcing public activity restrictions.
Related news: Indonesia adds 44,721 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday
The government's national vaccination program commenced on January 13, 2021, and President Joko Widodo became the first recipient of the vaccine.
As of August 31, 2021, more than 100 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the country, according to spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi.
This achievement is expected to further expedite the national vaccination program towards the 400-million dose target for achieving herd immunity within the 2022 deadline, she said.
Based on the number of citizens vaccinated, Indonesia is ranked sixth in the world above Mexico and below Japan, she revealed.
In addition, Indonesia is ranked seventh in the world based on the total vaccine doses administered, above Turkey and below Germany, she added.
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Related news: Over 34.70 million Indonesians fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Translator: Yogi R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
