Reviewing COVID-19 Vaccinations For Children 6-11 Years Old, Jokowi: Not Sick, Right? It's Like Being Bitten By A Mosquito

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Screenshot)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) directly inspected the COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6 to 11 years at the Cideng Elementary School Complex, Gambir, Jakarta.

In his review, Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim, Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono, and Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan.

At the vaccination site, Jokowi approached a number of school children who were being injected with the vaccine. One of the children who was accompanied by Jokowi was transfixed as he felt a needle enter his arm.

After being vaccinated, Jokowi reassured the child not to worry because vaccination does not cause pain.

"It doesn't hurt, does it? It's like being bitten by a mosquito," Jokowi said on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube video, Wednesday, December 15.

In his remarks after reviewing vaccinations, Jokowi appreciated the start of vaccination for children 6-11 years old which was held in the capital city. There are 1.2 million children targeted for vaccination in this age group.

"This morning I came to see the start of vaccination for children between 6-11 years old. Throughout Indonesia, there are approximately 26.5 million children that we must vaccinate and specifically in Jakarta, there are 1.2 million children who must be vaccinated. "said Jokowi.

Jokowi asked for the vaccination of children 6-11 years old not only in Jakarta. He hopes that other provinces will immediately start vaccinating children to protect them from the spread of COVID-19, both old and new variants.

"Everything must also be adjusted because our children also have to get immunized, get vaccinated for other diseases, so this arrangement is in the Ministry of Health, in the regional Health Office, and we hope we can finish everything soon," he explained.

For information, the vaccination for children was carried out based on a recommendation from the National Immunization Expert Advisory Committee (Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization/ITAGI) through letter number 166/ITAGI/Adm/XII/2021 dated December 9, 2021 regarding the study of Covid-19 vaccination in children aged 6-11 years.