Merdeka Vaccination Missed 1 Percent Of Target, Polda Metro Revealed 2 Obstacles In The Field

JAKARTA - Merdeka Vaccination targets 100 percent of Jakartans to have the first dose of vaccine on August 17. However, the target could not be met even though it has now reached 99 percent.

Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Yusri Yunus said one of the reasons for not achieving the target was because there were people who had Jakarta ID cards but did not live in the capital.

"Why 99 percent, because there are Jakarta residents whose Jakarta ID cards live abroad. There are Jakarta residents whose Jakarta ID cards live outside Jakarta, for example in Maluku, Ambon, so it's impossible to get 100 percent," said Yusri when contacted, Wednesday, August 18.

Then, another reason is because when the Merdeka Vaccination program was running, there were several residents who were exposed to COVID-19. So they cannot be vaccinated.

Moreover, those who are exposed to COVID-19 can only get vaccinated after 3 months from being infected.

"There was a resident of Jakarta when he wanted to be vaccinated, he was positive for COVID-19 so he waited (time). So it's 99 percent more," said Yusri.

In the future, the second dose of Merdeka Vaccination will be held again in the near future. However, for now Polda Metro Jaya will focus on holding vaccinations in the buffer zones of the capital.

"Now, we are attacking Depok, Bekasi, Regency/City, South Tangerang, Tangerang. This small city is still 30 percent, 50 percent," said Yusri.

Vaccination of people living in the buffer zone of the capital is very important if you want to create herd immunity in Jakarta. This is because many residents of the buffer zones work in Jakarta.

"So that it is equally balanced, because if Jakarta is below it, it is still low, while the mobility of the people who oppose to Jakarta is quite large," said Yusri.