The government receives new vaccine doses today to secure our vaccine stocks and continue our vaccination efforts
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia received the incoming 49th batch containing 207 thousand AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by the Dutch government under a bilateral cooperation scheme on Saturday.

"The government receives new vaccine doses today to secure our vaccine stocks and continue our vaccination efforts," Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G. Plate noted in his press statement, Saturday.

After the arrival of the new vaccine batch, the current stock of vaccines in Indonesia would reach 220.4 million doses, Plate remarked.

Plate highlighted the significance of sufficient vaccine stocks and prompt distribution as the key to expediting vaccination coverage in Indonesia. Related news: Indonesia to reach 2.7 million vaccinations per day in Nov: Researcher

The minister also spoke of the government currently continuing to secure more vaccine doses through bilateral and multilateral cooperation schemes.

"Sufficient vaccine stocks are essential to accelerate vaccination coverage, and the government continues to secure more vaccine doses through all schemes available," Minister Plate stated.

Thorough vaccination coverage is important for pandemic control and to achieve herd immunity in the community, he emphasized.

Vaccinated residents should not become complacent and neglect health protocol enforcement despite having already completed their vaccine doses, the minister stressed.

Related news: Indonesia receives 500,000 AstraZeneca doses from Australia

"Although they have completed taking their vaccine doses, they should also remember that proper health protocols, such as disciplined use of masks, maintaining physical distancing, and washing hands, are also crucial for pandemic control," Plate reiterated.

The minister further urged residents to install and use the national COVID-19 contact tracing mobile application, PeduliLindungi. The app is useful for contact tracing, and users are required to register on it for gaining access to premises.

"We urged the public to partake in efforts to control the pandemic by installing and utilizing the PeduliLindungi mobile application to help the government boost its contact-tracing process for identifying individuals suspected to have come in close contact with COVID-19 patients," Minister Plate stated.


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Translator: Natisha A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021