Death Rate Still High, Regional Government Asked To Re-voke Booster Vaccine

JAKARTA - Coordinator of the Expert Team and Government Spokesperson for Handling COVID-19, Wiku Adisasmito asked the local government to increase the coverage of the third or booster dose of vaccination.

"We ask all local governments to ensure the availability of booster vaccines and immediately identify and encourage residents who have not boosters," said Wiku, Thursday, September 22.

He said that booster vaccination needs to be continuously pursued, one way is to enforce regulations that require people to have a booster vaccine in order to access public facilities.

"But once again, awareness for booster vaccines returns to each individual as a responsibility to protect oneself and others," he said.

He reminded the public not to underestimate COVID-19 because the number of deaths in Indonesia is relatively high.

"The weekly death rate in Indonesia is still above 100 people, death from COVID-19 is not just a number without meaning," he said.

Through vaccination, he continued, the public can prevent the severity or death due to COVID-19.

"In principle, prevention is more important than treatment, so the role of the community to remind each other is the most effective way for us to do it together," he said.

Data from the COVID-19 Task Force received in Jakarta Thursday noted that the total population who had received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine reached 62,968,993 people.

Thus, it was recorded that the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine had been given to 26.83 percent of the total population targeted for COVID-19 vaccination, as many as 234,666,020 people.

In principle, Wiku emphasized that every policy made by the government in handling the pandemic aims to save the community from COVID-19.

"Therefore, community participation to take part in following the recommendations set by the government is very important," said Wiku.