Gov’t to Speed Up COVID-19 Vaccination in Regions

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered all stakeholders to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination, especially in provinces with the first dose vaccination rate lower than 20 percent.

“The President has ordered Ministry of Health, Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), and Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to pay attention to provinces with vaccination rate lower than 20 percent,” Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said at a virtual press conference on Monday (09/13).

For the record, as of September 12, 2021, there were four provinces with vaccination rate lower than 20 percent, namely Lampung (15.17 percent), West Sumatra (18.42 percent), North Maluku (18.75 percent), and Papua (19.35 percent).

Budi said that of the total 169 million doses of vaccine that have been received by Ministry of Health, 157 million doses have been distributed across the country, nine million doses are in the distribution process, and three million doses of vaccine are stored as national reserves.

“Of the 157 million doses that have been distributed to regions, 116 million doses of vaccine have been administered. Thus, as previously stated by the Coordinating Minister, there are 41 million doses of vaccine stocks in the regions,” Budi said.

The Minister said that the vaccine stocks must be immediately used, in line with the President’s directives.

Budi went on to say that the Government has administered vaccines with the total 73 million first doses and 43 million second doses. Indonesia is currently in the sixth rank globally in terms of the number of people who have been fully and partially vaccinated, after China, India, America, Brazil, and Japan. (TGH/UN) (RI/MMB)