Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA) - The Central Sulawesi administration has targeted the province’s COVID-19 immunization coverage to reach 60 percent by the end of December in a bid to achieve community immunity.

“We need to accelerate this (vaccination program). We must reach 60 percent (coverage) by the end of December. It is even better if we can surpass it,” Central Sulawesi Governor Rusdy Mastura stated at a coordination meeting for the acceleration of vaccination and COVID-19 control at the Central Sulawesi Governor's Office here Friday.

According to the Central Sulawesi Provincial Government's data, the province’s vaccination coverage had reached 54 percent. However, in the data compiled by the Ministry of Health, its coverage has only reached 46 percent.

"We are supposed to be in the top 10 for vaccination achievement (rank), but due to the delay in inputting vaccination data, we are in the fifth place from the bottom, as a province with low vaccination realization," Mastura remarked.

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On the occasion, he appealed to all district heads and mayors as well as government apparatus in regions to work hand-in-hand in a bid to expedite COVID-19 vaccinations in their respective areas.

"The president often reminded me about this, and even when I met the president recently at the State Palace, during a meeting that lasted about half an hour, he urged vaccinations to be increased," he stressed.

In a bid to boost immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government had launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.

According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of December 10, 2021, nearly 145,085,912 citizens have received their first COVID-19 shot, while 101,794,596 have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

Related news: Gov't makes full vaccination year-end travel requirement

Translator: Muhammad Hajiji, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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