Jakarta (ANTARA) - As many as 118 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, comprising first, second, and third doses, have been administered to the public as of September 15, 2021, Deputy Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara has said.

“Right now, we are pursuing vaccinations. We have done 118 million vaccinations in Indonesia," he stated at an online event entitled 'Wealth Wisdom' in Jakarta on Friday.

According to the covid19.co.id website, the 118 million shots included 75.14 million first doses, 42.96 million second doses, and 800,411 third or booster doses, he said. The booster doses were given to health workers, he noted.

"We have prepared health workers and started the third dose of injection because health workers are at the forefront of handling cases of this virus," he said.

With the administration of 118 million shots, Indonesia now ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of vaccinations provided, he added.

Currently, in terms of the number of vaccinations administered, China ranks first with 2.15 billion doses, he said. Meanwhile, India has administered 758.8 million doses, the United States 381.45 million, Brazil 212.8 million, Japan 145.79 million, Germany 104.38 million, and Turkey 103.03 million, he added.

Globally, 5.79 billion doses have been administered in 184 countries so far, with the daily vaccination rate reaching 34.9 million shots per day, Nazara said.

The Indonesian government has set a target of inoculating 208 million Indonesians to build herd immunity against the coronavirus, he noted.

Therefore, the government is encouraging efforts to boost vaccinations to around two million to 2.5 million per day to achieve the herd immunity target, he said.

Currently, Indonesia's vaccination average has almost reached 1.4 million doses per day, but this figure is still far from the target of 3.4 million doses per day, he pointed out.

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This has led to Indonesia ranking sixth in terms of the number of vaccinations administered, he said. However, vaccination coverage in Indonesia is still very low compared to other ASEAN member countries, he added.

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin had earlier said the implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations in agglomeration areas must be carried out quickly and uniformly so there are no gaps in the process.

"Our vaccination program is now aiming at these surrounding areas (agglomeration areas)," he remarked while visiting the An-Nawawi Tanara Islamic Boarding School, Serang, Banten on Thursday.

He said that most of the achievements in accelerating vaccinations in agglomeration areas have been reported in central areas, including Jakarta, Bandung, Greater Solo, Greater Semarang, and Greater Malang.

"For the central agglomeration area, it has actually been fulfilled, it has been achieved. Jakarta is even more than 100 percent. Residents with Jakarta ID cards and those who work and study in Jakarta have been vaccinated," he explained.

Meanwhile, in the supporting areas of the Indonesian capital, vaccination coverage is still low, he noted.

"In greater areas of Tangerang, Bekasi, Bogor, and Depok, it (vaccination coverage) is still low," he said.

Therefore, he appealed to all levels of local governments to work hard to accelerate the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the public.

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Translator: Astrid F, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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