The Third Stage Of Vaccination Which Targets Vulnerable Communities Will Be Continued In Four Cities In June

JAKARTA - The government began the third phase of COVID-19 vaccination with the target of economically and socially vulnerable people on May 5, 2021, with DKI Jakarta Province as a pilot project.

COVID-19 Handling Task Force Spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said the third phase of vaccination will continue in June in four major cities.

"Gradually in June, this program will also be implemented in other cities namely Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Medan", Wiku said in a YouTube broadcast of the Presidential Secretariat, Thursday, May 20.

Wiku said that the third stage of vaccination will prioritize the elderly who have not received vaccination injections in the second phase before other vulnerable people are targeted.

Separately, a Vaccination spokeswoman from the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi mentioned the third stage vaccination target of 140 million people.

Unfortunately, the current dose of the vaccine is not sufficient to be injected at once. Therefore, the government determines the priority group on the third stage of vaccination.

"Of the many general public, approximately 140 million targets, we need to know this vaccine is not available at any one time. So, we have to determine who we can give first", Nadia said in a virtual press conference, Tuesday, May 18.

Nadia said that there are a number of criteria that can group the priorities of vaccine recipients. They are a vulnerable group seen from the geospatial aspect. Second, it is seen from the economic and social aspects.

Therefore, the community groups that are the priority in the third stage of vaccination are residents in slums or densely populated settlements. "The economic ones are down, then socially disadvantaged, this is what we put first", Nadia said.

Not only that, stage three vaccinations with priority for vulnerable groups also target disability groups and people with mental disorders.

Nadia mentioned that there is no specific selection of vaccine types in this third stage of vaccination. The government will use any vaccine that is already available.

"There is a Sinovac vaccine, we use it. AstraZeneca vaccine, we use it. Later will also come Novavax and Pfizer brands, that's also we will use. All brands or types of vaccines are just as good", explained Nadia.