The government is optimistic that it can reach the national vaccination targetJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Government has continued to obtain COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the availability of stocks for meeting its target of vaccinating 70 percent of population in a bid to reach herd immunity by the end of 2021, a top official from the Communication and Informatics Ministry (Kominfo) has said.
The latest 14th batch of 69,030 Pfizer vaccines has arrived and is ready to be distributed to the regions that need it, the ministry's Public Information and Communication Director General Usman Kansong informed here on Friday.
"The government is optimistic that it can reach the national vaccination target. Hence, the people's support is needed," he said.
As of November 4, 2021, around 122 million or around 59.2 percent of Indonesian people have been vaccinated, with 77 million people receiving the second dose, too, he disclosed.
Among the 21.5 million elderly targeted by the vaccination program, 8.8 million have received the first dose and around 5.4 million have received the second dose, he said.
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Meanwhile, vaccinations of teenagers have indicated an upward trend, he added. As of Friday, 7.1 million or 26.6 percent of teens have received the first dose and 4.5 million or 17.1 percent have obtained the second dose, he said.
Kansong urged people who have not yet been vaccinated or have been hesitant to do so to immediately get inoculated so that Indonesia can reach herd immunity soon.
"Vaccination is not just an effort to protect ourselves, it is also to protect our family and the general public," he affirmed.
According to the COVID-19 Task Force data, the elderly are in the group that is highly vulnerable to COVID-19.
There is around a 46-percent probability of fatality after being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 among the unvaccinated elderly, Kansong said.
"What are you waiting for? Vaccinate immediately. Let us prevent the rise of the third wave together," the director general added.
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Translator: Livia K, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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