"Those who have received the ticket can visit the nearest healthcare facility to get the second booster," the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, noted in a virtual press conference followed online on Tuesday.
He stated that those, who have not yet received the ticket, can still get the booster dose without having to wait for the ticket to be issued in PeduliLindungi.
Syahril explained that data collection for vaccination participants with no ticket would later be conducted through the P-Care application.
According to the spokesperson, as many as 449 million vaccine doses have been administered to people in the country. So far, 64 percent of Indonesia's total population has been fully vaccinated or received the second vaccine dose.
He further noted that of the 514 districts and cities in Indonesia, there are 253 districts and cities whose second-dose vaccination coverage is still below 70 percent.
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As for vaccination among older adults, the second dose coverage is still below 70 percent in some 346 districts and cities . Provinces that recorded the highest second-dose vaccination coverage among older adults are Jakarta, West Java, and West Sumatra.
"We must still pursue the achievement of first booster vaccination, which is still relatively low, only 29.50 percent of the target citizens," the spokesperson stated.
To accelerate the vaccination process, the Ministry of Health has approved people aged over 18 to get the second booster dose starting from January 24, 2023, he said.
He explained that the second booster is essential to improve immunity and extend protection against COVID-19 infection in order to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The Ministry of Health has issued a circular on the provision of the second booster to the general public from January 24, 2023. The circular was signed by the ministry's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, on Friday, January 20, 2023.
According to the circular, the second booster dose is provided at an interval of six months from the first booster dose.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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