"BIN continues to intensify the acceleration of vaccinations in order to meet the target of 70 to 75 percent of the population nationally," head of the BIN, General Budi Gunawan, said in a written statement received here on Monday.
The peak of COVID-19 has been passed, he observed. However, the national vaccination target must be achieved to maintain the decline in positivity rate, he added.
He said that the positivity rate for COVID-19 in Indonesia fell to 16.3 percent on March 4, 2022, from 18.2 percent at the end of February 2022.
At the same time, 15 provinces are experiencing a decline in daily confirmed cases, and in eight provinces, COVID-19 transmission is slowing down, he informed.
Despite the improving situation, people must not let down their guard, he stressed.
Efforts to curb COVID-19 transmission must continue to be optimized to make Indonesia safe from the pandemic, he said.
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In the last week, BIN has continued to conduct awareness campaigns to boost the participation of children and older adults in the national COVID-19 vaccination program, he added.
The BIN has also held COVID-19 vaccinations in 12 provinces for the administration of primary and booster doses, Gunawan said.
Vaccinations have also been expanded to remote villages or islands, which are difficult to reach, he added.
Meanwhile, head of the Bangka Belitung BIN, Imam Santoso, said that his agency is cooperating with the regional government of Bangka Belitung to carry out door-to-door vaccinations.
"Our commitment is to reach and provide access to vaccines for everyone, including those who live far away in remote villages and islands," Santoso affirmed.
As part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government rolled out a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.
According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of March 7, 2022, nearly 192,068,763 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 jab, 148,021,351 have been fully vaccinated, and 12,487,116 have received the booster shot.
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Translator: Muhammad Zulfikar, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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