Jokowi: Vaccination For COVID-19 Is Key Determination, Herd Immunity Will Appear

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the vaccination program is important to control the COVID-19 pandemic and is the key to determining the recovery of people's lives, including the economic aspect.

"Controlling a pandemic, especially through vaccination is a game changer, is a very decisive key so that the community can work again, our children can study at school again, and so we can return to worship in peace, and also so that our national economy can revive soon. "Said President Jokowi as quoted by Antara, Friday, January 15.

President Jokowi asked all parties to be optimistic about undergoing 2021 because this year will be the turning point of the COVID-19 pandemic problem experienced in 2020. He hopes that even though national health will gradually recover, the public will remain disciplined in implementing health protocols.

"Although later, even though it has been vaccinated. I always say that the discipline of health protocols must be strictly enforced until the whole world returns to normal without a pandemic, "he said. Jokowi also guaranteed that the free COVID-19 vaccination program which began on Wednesday (13/1) will continue. until it reaches the target recipient of the vaccine to create communal immunity.

This free vaccination program, which targets 181.5 million Indonesians, was not developed suddenly, but has been formulated for a long time by the government to be effective in creating communal immunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The vaccination support system has also been planned and has been ready since several months ago. This is an important step, our collective step, to bring our nation out of the pandemic, provide health and safety protection to the people and will accelerate the rapid recovery of the national economy, "said Jokowi.

The Head of State also confirmed that the government had secured 426 million doses of vaccine for the public, which came from four different companies and countries.

"With this mass vaccination we hope that herd immunity (communal immunity) will emerge so that the risk of the spread of COVID-19 will stop and economic activity will fully recover," he said.