Gov’t Intensifies Vaccination; Records 500,000 Jabs Per Day

Minister of Health Budi G. Sadikin delivering his press statement after a limited meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta, Monday (31/05/2021) accompanied by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir and Head of the National Agency for Disaster Management Ganip Warsito. (Photo: PR of Cabinet Secretary/Agung)

The Government continues to speed up COVID-19 vaccination that targets 181.5 million of Indonesia’s population to immediately achieve herd immunity. With adequate vaccine supplies, the vaccination rate has bounced back to 500,000 per day, according to Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

“We have reached 500,000 vaccinations per day again. Thank God, this month we have approximately 20 million (vaccine doses) ready at hand, so if divided with 30 days, we can inoculate 500,000 to 650,000 doses per day,” he told the press after attending a limited meeting on COVID-19 pandemic management led by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Monday (31/05) in Jakarta.

As of 30 May, 26.9 million doses of vaccine have been injected. With a continued acceleration, Budi expressed optimism that the vaccination will reach 27 million injected doses soon. “God willing, today we will reach 27 million doses in vaccination,” he said.

Furthermore, the Minister urged regional governments to continue to accelerate the vaccination rate in their respective regions. In vaccinating the people, the Minister also asked regional governments to prioritize senior citizens aged 60 and above who bear a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure.

“I urge all governors, heads of regions, regents, mayors, to immediately speed up the vaccination program. Please ensure that senior citizens are prioritized. If we can prioritize senior citizens for vaccination, God willing, the hospital admission rate will drop and so will the mortality rate,” he said.

Vaccination for health care workers, Budi added, can also reduce the severity risk of those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure.

“I also would like to give a special thanks to health care workers. I have also said this to the President, for example, in Kudus (regency), 140 health care workers are exposed to COVID-19. Fortunately, they have been vaccinated, so most of them are asymptomatic and hopefully, those who are exposed can recover more quickly since their antibodies have been formed,” he said.

As the vaccination proceeds, the Minister also reminded the public to remain disciplined in observing health protocols to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

“I urge the public to please help our health care workers who have made sacrifice to serve us all by that way, remain disciplined to wear a mask. If we can be disciplined to wear a mask, the infection risk can reduce to a great extent,” he said. (TGH/UN) (DH/LW)