We want more (people to get the booster) because cases are surging
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has sought an increase in the third or booster COVID-19 vaccination coverage amid an increase in infections in Indonesia.

On the sidelines of his visit to several schools in Bogor district, West Java, on Thursday, he said that the risk of COVID-19 could be 20 times higher among people who have not received the booster shot.

So far, only around 50 million Indonesians have received the booster dose, or around 25 percent of the targeted 208.26 million citizens, he noted.

"We want more (people to get the booster) because cases are surging," he said.

The availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia is still sufficient, the minister assured. For this reason, the community has been asked to get vaccinated promptly.

"There's a lot of stock from various brands of vaccines," he informed.

Recently, the government has made booster vaccination a requirement for Indonesian citizens aged over 18 years who plan to travel outside the country.

The provision has been regulated in the COVID-19 Handling Task Force’s Circular Number 22 of 2022 on health protocols for overseas travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, overseas travelers (PPLNs) who want to enter Indonesia are required to have at least received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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 across the country.

According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of July 21, 2022, as many as 202,079,997 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 169,703,944 have been administered the second dose, and 53,830,281 have taken the booster dose.

Related news: Booster vaccine important for people at risk: Task Force
Related news: Booster vaccine essential to strengthen protection against COVID: IDI
Related news: President Jokowi asks Hajj returnees to get booster shot

Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022