"We have proposed the addition of Moderna and Sinovac vaccines for the implementation of vaccinations," head of the office Herwan Antoni informed here on Wednesday.
The additional vaccine supply has been proposed because currently, the only available COVID-19 vaccine in Bengkulu is Pfizer, and the stock is depleting in all regions, he said.
According to him, the need for Sinovac and Moderna vaccines is high, especially for the third- and fourth-dose vaccinations.
The additional doses will be prioritized for the fourth-dose vaccination, which is targeted at Health Office workers and health workers, Antoni informed.
Currently, the Bengkulu Health Office is pursuing the coverage of the first booster or third dose, which is still low at 29.65 percent, he said.
Meanwhile, only around 23.02 percent of the targeted recipients have received the fourth dose or second booster.
"The coverage of third- and fourth-dose vaccinations in Bengkulu is low. Thus, we will continue to pursue this so that the achievement would be high," he remarked.
As part of efforts to boost community immunity, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting as many as 234,666,020 citizens.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Health, as of October 11, 2022, as many as 204,731,055 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 171,352,802 have been administered the second dose, 64,116,428 have taken the third dose or first booster, and 641,003 have received the fourth dose or second booster.
The ministry's data also shows that, as of October 11, 2022, at least 1,501,504 Bengkulu residents have received the first dose, 1,194,893 have taken the second dose, 399,181 the third dose, and 15,355 the fourth dose.
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Translator: Anggi Mayasari, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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