West Java Governor Asks Residents To Re-Vaccinate Along With Increased COVID-19

Acting Governor of West Java Bey Kalioni Machmudin asked residents to get a re-vaccine, along with the increase in COVID-19 cases, including in West Java, where there have been 87 cases from 27 regencies/cities.

In fact, said Bey, the appeal to the public to be re-vaccinated against COVID-19, especially for those who have passed the last six months of vaccination, was stated in a circular letter.

"We have issued a circular, for those who immunize COVID-19 and for more than six months, it should be repeated for vaccination, just come to the puskesmas, the vaccine is still free," Bey said in Bandung as reported by ANTARA, Friday, December 8.

In addition, in anticipating an increase in cases, especially in West Java, Bey also asked the public to re-implement the 5M health protocol, namely washing hands, wearing masks, maintaining distance, staying away from crowds, and reducing mobility.

"First, we remind the public to maintain the process (5M). In addition, for people who feel unwell, they should wear masks," said Bey.

Regarding health facilities in West Java, Bey ensures that he is ready to handle it if COVID-19 increases.

"All hospitals, health centers are ready, but we ask the community to also carry out the process and immediately re-immunize it," he said.

The Ministry of Health reported daily cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia increased by 35-40 cases as of December 6, 2023, with the number of hospitalized patients recorded at 60-131 people. This situation triggered an increase in the hospital occupancy rate of 0.06 percent and the death rate of 0-3 cases per day.

The increase in cases is dominated by the Omicron XBB 1.5 subvariant which is also the cause of a wave of COVID-19 infections in Europe and the United States. In addition, EG2 and EG5 subvariants were also detected.

Despite the increase, the cases are still much lower than during the pandemic which reached 50,000-400,000 cases per week.