Health Office: Pandemic In Jakarta Will End Early Next Year

JAKARTA - Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Immunization Section of the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Ngabila Salama, predicts that the COVID-19 pandemic in Jakarta will end at the earliest in early 2022.

According to Ngabila, at the end of the Coronavirus pandemic will become endemic. However, COVID-19 still exists even though it is not as widespread as it is now.

"The pandemic can still end as early as early next year. But after that, we have to think that COVID will always exist and we (DKI Provincial Government) will continue to do 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment)", said Ngabila in a virtual discussion, quoted Wednesday, September 15.

In the future, people will live side by side with Corona. Ngabila said that the preparations made by the DKI Provincial Government were to ensure that all people over the age of 12 were vaccinated with two doses.

Meanwhile, for children under the age of 12, the DKI Provincial Government is waiting for a decision from the central government, in this case, the Ministry of Health, until it is time for regulation regarding child vaccination.

"If you ask DKI what preparations are made, first we have to make sure that there are two complete doses of 12 years and over in DKI. We as the regional government support and optimally execute the regulations carried out by the central government", said Ngabila.

Until now, there are still 2.5 million people in Jakarta who have not received the vaccine injection. The DKI Provincial Government, he continued, continues to strive so that these residents can be vaccinated so that the target of 14 million vaccinations is achieved in the capital city.

"To get zero cases in DKI, I think it will be very difficult because we have to live side by side with COVID-19 in quotes, but not give up. We have to make optimal efforts first. We have to make sure 14 million people are active in DKI already fully vaccinated", she concluded.