The COVID-19 vaccination program is part of the government's efforts to help people develop antibodies against the virus, Health Ministry Spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said at an online press conference on Wednesday.
"If we are infected with COVID-19 (after immunization), then it would not be too severe," he added.
Currently, the government is continuing to pursue the booster or third vaccination target, he said.
More than 441 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Indonesian people so far, he highlighted.
"Some 73.2 percent have already received the second administration. However, we still have to push the vaccination achievement target," he said.
Meanwhile, the third dose vaccination coverage has only reached 64.8 million or 27.6 percent of the target of 234,666,020.
"This achievement is still relatively low. It does not rise quick, which becomes a homework for us all since vaccination is a part of the effort from our strategy to end this pandemic," he noted.
The government has been striving to meet the demand for vaccines through donations and procurement schemes, Syahril informed.
"A total of five million doses of donated Pfizer vaccines have arrived in Indonesia; they are currently being tested by the POM (Food and Drug Supervisory) Agency," he said.
"Insya Allah (God willing), by the end of the week, this can be distributed to the entire province," he added.
In addition to donated vaccines, Indonesia still has 555 thousand vaccine doses.
The government is also seeking to secure vaccines through domestic production, specifically IndoVac from state-run pharmaceutical company Bio Farma.
"It is being processed, and it is expected to become available by November. The licensing and distribution of this IndoVac vaccine can meet the vaccine demand in Indonesia," he said.
The local vaccine will be distributed based on the demand in regions.
The ministry has urged regional governments, specifically provincial and municipal health offices, to make efforts to expedite booster vaccinations, he said.
This has been done so that the government can achieve the target of inoculating at least 50 percent of the population with the booster vaccine, he added.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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