Regional governments play a crucial role in making vaccination a successJakarta (ANTARA) - Member of the House of Representatives' (DPR's) Commission IX Nurhadi has urged regional governments to focus on increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage, as they are deemed to play an important role in making vaccination a success.
Nurhadi, here on Monday, also highlighted the importance of leadership from the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Task Force.
"Our people's mobility is quite high, so regions should focus on maximizing vaccination coverage," he remarked.
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According to Nurhadi, the government should continue its efforts to increase the people's awareness of high vaccination, health protocols, and clean living.
The House commission member pressed for sound coordination and consolidation between the central and regional governments.
"A rise in the number of COVID-19 cases should be our collective attention, and we cannot let any more people fall victims to COVID-19," he stated.
He deemed it important to have strategy in place to expedite vaccination in each region.
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Meanwhile, he believes that Indonesia's ranking among five countries, with the most vaccination figure in the world, is good news and praiseworthy.
"However, we still need to push vaccination to 100 percent. Hence, we should continue to encourage the government to focus on vaccination," Nurhadi affirmed.
Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia Iwan Ariawan deemed that Indonesia being listed among the five countries with the most vaccination figure in the world is an achievement.
This achievement is good and beneficial to prevent a spike in the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths caused by COVID-19, he emphasized.
"Regional governments play a crucial role in making vaccination a success," he stressed.
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"The people are generally more receptive to opinions from the regional governments as well as local, religious, or public figures when it comes to information on vaccination," he elaborated.
Amid the threat of the Omicron variant, the role of vaccination becomes increasingly important because it is beneficial to prevent severe COVID-19 cases and deaths, he affirmed.
Districts or cities, with low vaccination coverage but plentiful vaccine stocks, should be reviewed, he opined.
"The problem should be identified and resolved collectively between the central and regional governments," he emphasized.
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Translator: Boyke Ledy W, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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