We have to tap into this achievement to motivate all elements. Do not be careless, as the development of COVID-19 is still very dynamic. This is especially with the emergence of Omicron in Indonesia and local transmission being reported. We must implJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government continues to pursue COVID-19 vaccinations in a bid to protect the public from the risk of a likely spike in cases of the Omicron variant.
"We are optimistic of achieving the vaccination target of reaching 208.2 million people by March or April," Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G. Plate stated on Friday.
The government will conduct regular vaccinations along with inoculations for various age groups in addition to the booster vaccination.
Plate is optimistic that herd immunity would soon be achieved to protect the community from the threat of the Omicron variant.
As of January 6, 2021, some 80 percent of the vaccination targets had received the first dose of injection and over 55 percent were administered the complete dose of vaccination.
Currently, vaccination for children aged 6-11 years, which commenced in December 2021, is still running until now.
Along with efforts to expand vaccination coverage across Indonesia, the government is also planning to administer a booster vaccine starting on January 12, 2022.
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“This is great work involving the support of various parties, right from the central government to the regional government, including religious leaders, community leaders, academics, and most importantly, the active role of the community," Plate noted.
The results of the hard work in conducting COVID-19 vaccination have also placed Indonesia as one of the countries with the most vaccination coverage in the world.
Indonesia follows China, India, and the United States, after having successfully recorded a vaccination coverage of 166.67 million people.
Based on data from Our World in Data as of January 4, 2022, Indonesia had administered 281,574,183 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. With this achievement, Indonesia ranks as one of the top five countries with the most vaccination coverage in the world.
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“We have to tap into this achievement to motivate all elements. Do not be careless, as the development of COVID-19 is still very dynamic. This is especially with the emergence of Omicron in Indonesia and local transmission being reported. We must implement vaccinations, health protocols, and tracing, tracking, and testing (3T)," Plate emphasized.
The minister also appealed to the public to be wiser in their mobility in an effort to reduce the transmission of Omicron.
In line with this, the government has decided to tighten the entry points for Indonesia.
Related news: Health Ministry reports 21 fresh Omicron cases
The government has temporarily closed the entry of foreigners directly or in transit from foreign countries, who have lived and/or visited within 14 days from the country/region with the following criteria:
Countries or regions that have confirmed transmission of the Omicron variant virus: South Africa, Botswana, Norway, France.
Countries or regions that are geographically close to a community transmission country of Omicron variant cases: Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho.
Countries or regions with more than 10 thousand confirmed cases of the Omicron variant: the United Kingdom and Denmark.
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Translator: Livia K, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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