We are optimistic that by the end of this September, vaccination coverage for the first dose would reach 70 percent in agglomeration areasJakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health has targeted first-dose vaccinations in agglomeration areas to reach a 70-percent coverage by the end of September 2021 in a bid to prevent the third wave of COVID-19.
"We are optimistic that by the end of this September, vaccination coverage for the first dose would reach 70 percent in agglomeration areas," the Indonesian Ministry of Health's spokesperson for vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said as confirmed by ANTARA here, Wednesday.
The agglomeration areas in question comprise Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Solo. Tarmizi noted that an increase in the people's mobility could occur in those aforementioned areas, especially during Christmas and New Year's Day celebrations.
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According to Tarmizi, another strategy entails increasing the first-dose vaccination coverage to 70 percent of the population in the provincial capitals outside Java-Bali.
"A 70-percent first-dose vaccination coverage in provincial capitals outside Java-Bali must be achieved in October 2021. Thus, we can be prepared to anticipate the next wave with protection from the vaccine," she explained.
The spokesperson noted that the Health Ministry is also implementing stricter health protocols and monitoring people's mobility through the use of the PeduliLindungi application.
Tarmizi explained that several policies of the Health Ministry also target to strengthen the downstream sector, specifically health service facilities, such as hospitals and community health centers, by preparing isolation rooms and increasing the number of health workers.
According to the spokesperson, despite a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases, several centralized isolation facilities were still on standby.
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"Strengthening the strategy in the upstream and downstream sectors is important as a precautionary measure against a surge in the number of cases," she stated.
Tarmizi noted that several internal factors, such as increased domestic mobility and the community's social activities, were causal to an increase in the number of cases and virus transmission.
"People's negligence of health protocols can trigger an increase in the number of cases," she noted.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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