103,017 Children In Pekanbaru To Be Injected With COVID-19 Vaccine, Targeted To Finish In March

Illustration/Antara

PEKANBARU - The Pekanbaru City Government, Riau Province, targets the vaccination of children aged 6-12 years to be completed in March 2022, after starting a few days ago.

"The Pekanbaru City Government has a target of 103,017 children to be vaccinated," said Head of the Pekanbaru City Health Service (Dinkes), Dr. Zaini Rizaldy Saragih, to reporters in Pekanbaru, as reported by Antara, Wednesday, January 12.

He said to support the target of children being injected with the vaccine, mass vaccinations were held at 17 points or schools.

On Wednesday, January 12, he said, simultaneous vaccination was carried out, with a target of reaching 10,000 children to be injected with the vaccine. Meanwhile, the supply of vaccines has been requested by the Ministry of Health to be added, through the Riau Provincial Government.

A spokesperson for the Riau COVID-19 Task Force (Satgas) Dr. Indra Yovi said vaccination for children aged 6-12 years had been programmed two months ago. So far, the implementation is safe and controlled, while the children who are vaccinated have gone through a health check-up process.

"Children's vaccines have been running, and there are no reports in Riau Province of things that are not desirable," he said.

In addition, he said, when the vaccination for children in Bhayangkara was observed by the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI). People who want their children to be injected with vaccines are welcome, if anyone doesn't want it, that's their right.

However, according to this pulmonologist, if there are parents who refuse, of course there will be consequences. Moreover, 100 percent face-to-face learning has begun and is now starting to develop a new variant of Omicron COVID-19 in several countries, including Indonesia. By having been vaccinated, the incoming COVID-19 will not burden infected patients.

For children who have not been vaccinated, he said, of course there will be a risk of exposure and will transmit it to parents and families who have not been injected with the vaccine. Children who have not been vaccinated can only study online.