We also need to take care of vulnerable groups of people, such as the elderly and those who have comorbidities and cannot get vaccinatedJakarta (ANTARA) - National Police chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has directed all ranks to work together with related parties to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations for the elderly and children so the 70-percent immunization target can be reached.
"The elderly vaccination coverage is at 60 percent. We are also pursuing children's vaccination aged 6 to 11 years. We have targeted several areas to be able to complete this within two weeks to reach 100 percent," Prabowo said in a written statement here on Tuesday.
The police chief directed all ranks to ramp up vaccinations while reviewing a vaccination drive at the Graha Wangsa Building in Lampung.
Accelerating vaccinations among the elderly and children is important considering that the 100-percent face-to-face learning (PTM) policy has been implemented, he said.
Boosting vaccinations among these groups can also minimize the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, which has been able to mutate into several variants, he explained.
Prabowo also highlighted the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant called Omicron in Indonesia. Most of the Omicron cases have been detected in foreign travelers entering Indonesia, he noted.
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The Omicron variant can infect people who have been vaccinated, he pointed out. However, its fatality rate among vaccinated people is seen lower than the Delta variant, he noted. However, the severity of infection is much higher in unvaccinated people, he added.
"We also need to take care of vulnerable groups of people, such as the elderly and those who have comorbidities and cannot get vaccinated," Prabowo said.
To minimize the severe impact of the Omicron variant, he appealed to people to immediately visit the vaccine outlets that have been prepared by the local government. In addition, he asked the regional police chiefs to cooperate with the Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI), and the regional National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) to convince families to get vaccinated.
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He also asked police ranks to educate the public regarding the importance of vaccinations and the implementation of health protocols. The local government and the police must also carry out tracing and testing activities if there are clusters in the area, he added.
Prabowo said he hoped that regions with vaccination coverage above 70 percent would immediately move forward to achieve 100-percent vaccinations. Some regions have set their own targets for achieving 100-percent vaccination coverage, which range from one month, two weeks, to less than 10 days, he noted.
"That is why I ask other regions whose achievements are still below 70 or already 70, but the elderly vaccination has not reached 60 percent, moreover, in children and teenagers vaccination. Please improve," he added.
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Translator: Laily R, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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