This is our challenge until the end of 2021Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto targets the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination to reach 41.8 percent of Indonesia's total population, or 113 million people, by the end of 2021.
"Our target at the end of the year is 41.8 percent, or around 113 million people. For now, some 37 percent, or 99.6 million people, have been fully vaccinated. This is our challenge until the end of 2021," Hartarto stated at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The minister noted that the government's target exceeded the directive of the World Health Organization (WHO), which suggested 40 percent of the population had to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of 2021.
This must be accomplished to immediately curb the spread of COVID-19 that endangers the people's lives and threatens to disrupt economic recovery efforts.
Hartarto explained that the country's economic opening still largely hinged on the manner in which the Indonesian and global governments dealt with the pandemic, including the new variant called Omicron.
"This includes how not to panic while facing the threat of the new variant," the minister affirmed.
The minister later remarked that the Omicron variant had emerged as a result of a lack of vaccination, especially in poor countries, as they did not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Omicron variant emerged from South Africa, with a vaccination rate of only 24 percent, while the entire African continent had a vaccination coverage reaching a mere seven percent.
To this end, Hartarto emphasized that Indonesia had an important role to play in realizing vaccination both in the country and in foreign nations through the G20 Presidency.
The minister emphasized on the criticality of global collaboration among G20 countries to solve the world's problems in a stronger, more concrete, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable way.
"The presidency shows Indonesia's opportunity for leadership at the global level in responding to the various challenges that must be overcome," Hartarto affirmed.
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Translator: Astrid F H, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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