As per data received from the task force here on Friday, the number of people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 increased by 1,143,519 on Friday to reach 66,316,667.
The number of recipients of the first dose of vaccine increased by 1,089,264 to reach 111,496,041, it said.
The number of third doses administered in the country increased by 8,266 to touch 1,092,871, it said.
Overall, the government is aiming to inoculate 208,265,720 million people.
The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has been given to 53.53 percent of the total 208,265,720 citizens targeted by the COVID-19 vaccination program, the task force reported.
Citizens who have finished undergoing vaccinations account for just 31.84 percent of the total target, it said.
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Meanwhile, spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that the elderly believe vaccines can trigger comorbidities, but that notion is wrong.
"Then why is the vaccination coverage not according to our expectations? (Because) there is still a misconception among the elderly that (people) their age should not get the vaccine, because there will be more side-effects later," she elaborated.
She said vaccinations among the elderly are still an issue that need to be addressed immediately. Currently, only 7.8 million people have received the first vaccination dose and only 4.9 million people have received the second dose of the total 21.5 million elderly people targeted by the vaccination program.
"This means that only 33 percent received protection from the first dose of vaccination. As for the complete dose, only 22 percent have received it," she said.
Earlier, the government had said that it is working to increase vaccination coverage among Indonesians. Initially, it was aiming for a 70-percent vaccination rate, but it has since been pushed to 80 percent and needs to be met by the end of 2021.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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