The Government Accelerates The Provision Of A COVID-19 Booster Vaccine In Jabodetabek To Prevent Omicron Variants

JAKARTA - The government will accelerate the administration of the third dose or booster vaccine for COVID-19 in Jabodetabek. The acceleration is carried out because the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is predicted to occur a lot in the region.

"We also emphasize that because most Omicrons will occur in DKI Jakarta and Bodetabek, in the next two, three weeks we will accelerate booster vaccinations there", said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in the press conference 'Weekly Evaluation of PPKM' aired on Presidential Secretariat YouTube, Monday, January 24.

Not only that, but Budi also revealed that his staff was asked by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to immediately provide a COVID-19 vaccine, especially for children and the elderly. Moreover, these two age groups are classified as vulnerable groups.

"Vaccination is also requested to be somewhat accelerated. Vaccination for the elderly, especially those who are very prone to being hospitalized and dying, as well as vaccination of children who are vulnerable as a source of transmission because they will be affected", said the former Deputy Minister of SOEs.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, also asked the public to immediately carry out a COVID-19 booster vaccine. Anyone who has got a ticket to get the third dose of vaccine is asked to come to a health facility immediately.

"The government also asks people who already have a third vaccine ticket or booster to directly inject the vaccine at outlets provided by the government", said Luhut at the same press conference.

"In addition, the government will also continue to encourage the second dose of vaccination for the general public and the elderly, especially in provinces, regencies, and cities that have not met the number of vaccination doses achieved", he added.

As previously reported, there are currently 181,131,330 people who have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination and 124,080,794 people have received the second dose of vaccination. While the third dose of vaccination was 1,366,115. Meanwhile, the target for vaccination in Indonesia is 208,265,720 people.