"We are still striving to achieve the target as planned because we hope to achieve herd immunity," spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations for the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated when contacted in Jakarta on Friday
To achieve herd immunity, Tarmizi remarked that 70 percent of the population must receive vaccinations to create immunity in the community and thwart transmission of the virus.
As of December 9, 2021, the Health Ministry noted that 101,435,621 people, or 48.70 percent, had been fully vaccinated out of the total target of 208,265,720 people
Meanwhile, the number of those having received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination had reached 144,167,156 people, or 69.46 percent.
Earlier, Tarmizi remarked that if vaccination failed to reach the targeted figure, then herd immunity could not be achieved. Areas where the vaccination number had not reached the target would experience an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
At the same time, for areas where the vaccination coverage had reached 100 percent or at least 70 percent, handling of the pandemic will be better.
"The process of shifting from a pandemic to an endemic stage has already occurred (in areas where vaccination already reaches 70 percent), and even the cases and transmission will decrease greatly," she explained.
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Complete vaccination will be a pre-condition for undertaking travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays as part of the efforts to reduce virus transmission, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force earlier noted.
"In the near future, the government will enforce a mandatory policy of full-dose vaccination for inter-district or inter-city travelers in the agglomeration area (and outside) during the Christmas and New Year period," the task force's spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, stated here on Thursday.
The central government has given local governments the discretion to adjust the rules based on their situation, especially regions outside Java-Bali, where the vaccination rate is still below the national average, he remarked.
"For this reason, all people, who have not been fully vaccinated, can immediately visit the nearest vaccination service post, including those at some airports and ports," he stated.
Indonesia has never managed to get through a long holiday period without a spike in COVID-19 cases, for which readiness for the Christmas and New Year period is important, he emphasized.
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Translator: Aditya R, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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