"We have seen that the death rate among older adults, vulnerable people, and (people with) comorbidities is relatively higher," he pointed out during a talk show entitled Why is Booster Dose Still Needed?
The talk show was broadcast on the YouTube channel of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and followed from here on Monday.
According to Bela, as more people get the coronavirus vaccine—the first, second, and third dose—the death toll due to COVID-19 will decline.
The World Health Organization will pay full attention to COVID-19 vaccination coverage before deciding on ending the pandemic status, he said.
One of the six WHO guidelines for entering the endemic phase is 100 percent vaccination coverage, especially among older adults and health workers.
Bela, who is also on the expert panel of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force of the BNPB, said that all individuals can serve as carriers of the virus and infect others around them. Thus, vaccination is important to provide protection to vulnerable populations, such as older adults, people with comorbidities, and health workers.
As part of efforts to boost community immunity, the government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting as many as 234,666,020 citizens.
According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of September 18, 2022, as many as 204,323,497 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 170,930,726 have been administered the second dose, 62,590,766 have taken the third dose or first booster dose, and 549,754 have received the fourth dose or second booster dose.
Related news: Elderly vaccination concern before endemic phase: IDI Task Force
Related news: Third COVID dose coverage in Indonesia reaches 62.49 million
Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
