Acting Governor of South Sulawesi Andi Sudirman Sulaiman noted in a written statement in Makassar on Saturday that 13 patients with comorbidities were given the Moderna vaccine since Thursday (Sept 2).
"Thank God, there is no problem. We are still keen to expedite vaccinations prioritized for (people with) comorbidities," Sulaiman affirmed.
The acting governor noted that the Moderna vaccines were only administered at vaccine booths in hospitals in order to monitor their implementation.
Comorbid patients in the areas of Makassar, Maros, Sungguminasa, and Takalar, as well as areas with reported high transmission of COVID-19 were chiefly targeted for vaccination. Patients, who register or handled by a mobile vaccinator and found to be comorbid, will be further tended to at the South Sulawesi Provincial Government's vaccine booth.
Related news: Ministry starts distributing Moderna vaccines for general public
He further noted that vaccines were administered to comorbid patients to safeguard against COVID-19 and as a precautionary measure against another wave of COVID-19 as well as to minimize casualties. "This is what I urged to speed up," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, coordinator of the South Sulawesi COVID-19 Task Force, Dr Arman Bausat, noted that Moderna can be administered to all age groups.
"This Moderna vaccine is good for people of all ages, starting from 12 years. It is also safe for those with comorbidities and the elderly," he explained.
The efforts to vaccinate the residents of South Sulawesi aligns with the agenda laid out by the central government.
President Joko Widodo is currently pushing for vaccinating 70 percent of the Indonesian population by the end of 2021. In doing so, he has instructed ministries and agencies to extend assistance in the progress.
Meanwhile, an expert at the Center for Indonesian Policy Study (CIPS), Andree Surianta, has projected that the state can vaccinate 2.7 million people per day in the event of more vaccine stocks arriving from overseas into Indonesia.
Related news: Slow vaccine distribution causal to low vaccination coverage
Translator: Abdul Kadir
Editor: Suharto
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