This is part of mitigation. Of course, we want to celebrate this year's Eid smoothly
Jakarta (ANTARA) - At least 21.7 million Indonesian citizens have received the third or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday, according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.



According to data from the task force accessed by ANTARA here on Wednesday, the number of booster dose recipients rose by 253,426 on Wednesday, taking the total number of people who have received the booster shot to 21,728,296.



For the second dose vaccinations, the number of recipients increased by 195,509 to reach 159,025,975 on Wednesday, the task force's data showed.


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Meanwhile, the number of citizens receiving their first vaccine dose rose by 113,796, as per the task force's data. Thus, the total number of first dose recipients has touched 208,265,720 so far.



As part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting as many as 208,265,720 citizens in the country.



Government spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling, Reisa Broto Asmoro, said that booster vaccinations are one of the mitigation efforts to protect people from COVID-19 transmission during the Eid homecoming exodus.


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With the booster dose, people's antibodies can be formed optimally, she noted. Booster vaccination can also help control the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia as it can keep the trend of positive cases low.



She expressed the hope that people will understand the benefits of the booster vaccination and promptly visit the nearest health facility to get the shot so that everyone can stay safe during the exodus.



"This is part of mitigation. Of course, we want to celebrate this year's Eid smoothly," she remarked.



The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of March 30, 2022, Indonesia has recorded a total of 6,009,486 COVID-19 cases, 5,742,931 recoveries, and 155 thousand deaths.



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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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