JAKARTA - Today's memory, five years ago, January 13, 2021, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) became the first Indonesian to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Jokowi's attitude was also praised by various parties. Jokowi also broke the news if the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous for health.
Previously, Jokowi considered the presence of vaccines to be an important lesson in breaking the chain of transmission of the corona virus. This narrative made him appeal to all Indonesian people to make peace with COVID-19 until the vaccine was distributed.
The Indonesian government has difficulty in breaking the chain of transmission of COVID-19. At first, the virus from Wuhan was considered easy to handle. However, the impact of the corona virus is so great. The transmission is quite massive. The victims are plentiful.
Another equally large impact is the negative impact of COVID-19 on the national economy. The government also did not stand still. The fight against COVID-19 was carried out with various improvisations. The government urged people to increase their immunity with herbal medicine and exercise.
There are also efforts to eliminate the virus with the step of sterilizing a room or a place. The government's approach is not much different from that of the World Health Organization (WHO). The results are not always optimal. Moreover, the instructions for fighting the corona ala WHO often change.
The inconsistency of the WHO guidelines is the estuary of more and more victims falling in the world, especially in Indonesia. This condition has attracted the attention of President Jokowi. He saw firsthand how the damage of the Wuhan virus was great.
He then admitted that the government's steps were not optimal. Jokowi appealed to all Indonesian people to try to make peace with COVID-19. This effort was revealed because Jokowi considered that the COVID-19 pandemic could only disappear if a vaccine was found.
Jokowi also revealed that the COVID-19 vaccine for all Indonesians is free. This discourse was circulated to break the assumption that the government wanted to do business with the people through the COVID-19 vaccine.
"So after receiving input from the public, and after recalculating, recalculating the state finances, I can say that the COVID-19 vaccine for the public is free. Again, free of charge at all."
"For this reason, I have instructed and ordered all levels of the cabinet, ministries, and local governments to prioritize the vaccination program in the 2021 budget year," said Jokowi as quoted by the BBC Indonesia website, December 16, 2020.
COVID-19 vaccines are also starting to prepare for distribution to Indonesia in early 2021. Chinese company Sinovac Biotech with its vaccine called Sinovac vaccine was the first to enter Indonesia. However, rumors about the effectiveness of Sinovac vaccines echo everywhere.
Some consider that the Sinovac vaccine will actually aggravate the pandemic. There are also those who consider the Sinovac vaccine to be dangerous. All of this is because the research process related to the vaccine is quite short.
Jokowi also tried to remove all kinds of rumors. He wants to be the first Indonesian to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"I will be the first to be vaccinated, I want to show that the vaccine is safe because it has gone through clinical trials not just once or twice. But we are still waiting for the results of the test, it will be the name of the emergency use permit from BPOM which is expected to come out this week or next week. After that, a day or two after that, I will be the first to be vaccinated," said Jokowi as quoted by lamandetik.com, January 7, 2021.
As a result, Jokowi acted as the first person in Indonesia to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on January 13, 2021. The COVID-19 vaccine was given at the Merdeka Palace. Jokowi also saw his efforts as part of facilitating the mass vaccination program in Indonesia.
Recently, rumors about the dangerous COVID-19 vaccine have started to decrease. Indonesian people are one by one starting to enjoy free COVID-19 vaccines.
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