Pekanbaru Mayor Firdaus MT stated here on Friday that only some 50 percent of the elderly had been vaccinated out of the 70,384 old people in the region that were targeted for vaccination. The data was obtained from the Health Office.
The mayor highlighted that his administration had increased the elderly vaccination rate target for 21 health centers in Pekanbaru City, as a means of pushing for better vaccination coverage among the elderly populace.
He has urged 21 health centers in Pekanbaru to complete vaccination for around 11 thousand elderly residents with the help of governments, from the sub-district to village levels, and to the neighborhood administrators (RT) and community units (RW).
"We have 21 health centers, right? Each of them must vaccinate around 500 elderly people," the mayor stated.
The city government aims to administer the first dose of vaccine to 60 percent of its elderly target prior to the evaluation of the fourth stage of Level 2 community activity restrictions in Pekanbaru City on November 22, 2021.
"To be able to enter Level 1 of the community activities restrictions, vaccination (coverage) for the elderly must reach 60 percent. Hence, we still need another 11 thousand elderly citizens to be vaccinated in order to lower Pekanbaru's status," he remarked.
"This is what we want to achieve. Hopefully, we can immediately lower the status to Level 1 of community activities restriction if we can (push for) elderly vaccination and tracing as targeted," he said.
The mayor also reminded residents to always adhere to health protocols in a disciplined manner despite a decline in the number of COVID-19 transmission cases in Pekanbaru.
He warned of the possibility of a new wave of transmission of the corona virus as was observed in neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
"Let us not be careless and continue to (implement) the health protocols, wear masks, wash hands, keep your distance, avoid crowds, and reduce mobility and interaction," he emphasized.
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Translator: Vera Lusiana, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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