A spike will put a heavy burden on health workers, restrict economic activities, and cause fatalities.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has said that the first dose vaccination coverage in 21 provincial capitals has crossed 70 percent and emphasized its importance in suppressing COVID-19 infections.

"Vaccination is one of the efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic," he stated in a written statement received here on Wednesday.

The statement was delivered when he was chairing the Evaluation Meeting on the Handling of COVID-19 and Mass Vaccination Program at Benteng Field, Medan city, with the North Sumatra Regional Leadership Coordination Forum on Wednesday.

Furthermore, he urged all governmental, medical, and religious institutions to socialize the importance of vaccinations to the public.

“We must strive for even distribution and optimize the coverage of vaccination. Without equal vaccination coverage, curbing the pandemic will be more difficult," the military commander remarked.

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Vaccination attempts still need to be made since there are people who do not believe in vaccines, while others are afraid to get vaccinated, he added.

Furthermore, in addition to carrying out vaccinations evenly, he said that the best option for suppressing cases is taking anticipatory steps to prevent any spike in the future.

"A spike will put a heavy burden on health workers, restrict economic activities, and cause fatalities," Tjahjanto reasoned.

After the meeting, he reviewed mass vaccinations at Benteng Field, Medan city, North Sumatra province.

The activity was carried out simultaneously in all districts and cities in the province, especially targeting the elderly, teenagers, and students. Ten thousand doses of vaccines were administered during the activity, he noted.

The military commander also informed that currently, the first dose vaccination rate in Medan city has reached 70 percent.

"Within one week, Medan city has been able to increase its vaccination coverage by 4 percent of the total target or more than 54 thousand people," he added.


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Translator: Putu Savitri, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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