"Especially for older adults, in accordance with the Ministry of Health's circular, they can be given a chance to partake in booster vaccination if they have received the primary vaccines for three months," he said, according to a written statement received here on Wednesday.
Prabowo conveyed the request while monitoring the implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations at the Nusantara Flower Garden, Cianjur District, West Java.
The National Police will pursue the booster vaccination target for older adults as a form of protection for the group, he stressed.
The third or booster dose strengthens immune response in older adults, especially those with comorbidities, he noted.
Vaccinations are essential to suppress the increasing COVID-19 spread caused by the Omicron variant, he said. For that reason, the national daily vaccination target has been increased from 1.1 million doses per day to 1.6 million doses per day, he added.
By increasing the vaccination target, it is hoped that Indonesia would be able to overcome the Omicron spike, he explained.
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According to official data, the national COVID-19 recovery rate has currently reached 80 to 90 percent, he said. Meanwhile, the mortality rate, on average, is still at three percent, even though some regions have recorded mortality rates of five or six percent, he added.
The Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, as part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19. President Joko Widodo was the first vaccine recipient under the program.
According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of February 23, 2022, nearly 190,228,123 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 jab, 142,270,154 have been fully vaccinated, and 9,166,818 have received the booster shot.
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Translator: Laily Rahmawaty, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
