Low Residents' Interest, Kulon Progo 'Unable' To Achieve Up To 50 Percent Booster Vaccinations

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

KULON PROGO - The Kulon Progo Regency Government, Special Region of Yogyakarta, has difficulty achieving the booster vaccination target of 50 percent of the total 378,177 targets by the end of July because people's desire to get this vaccine is low.

Spokesperson for the Kulon Progo COVID-19 Task Force, Baning Rahayujati, said the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Task Force are targeting the booster vaccination achievement to be at least 50 percent.

"But so far, in Kulon Progo, the booster vaccination has only reached 27.43 percent. To reach 50 percent is quite difficult," Baning said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, July 18.

He said the Ministry of Health is trying to achieve the target of 50 percent booster vaccination, by requiring travelers to have a booster.

"In Kulon Progo itself, especially at Yogyakarta International Airport, the Port Health office has provided a post for vaccination," he said.

The Kulon Progo Health Office through the puskesmas has increased the schedule or number of vaccination service posts. Then, every three days the Health Office socializes vaccination service points.

However, this vaccination location was not able to increase the booster vaccination achievement, because every day on average only 350 targets were vaccinated. This daily vaccination achievement is very low compared to April which reached 1,200 targets per day.

"The closer you come, the more difficult it is to achieve vaccination," he said.

Baning said the Kulon Progo Regency Government still has a mass vaccination agenda, but the implementation of vaccination in the field is not easy.

"It's not easy to prepare or invite people to come at vaccination posts, at least there were only around 350 targets a day, which is a total at several points. At one point, the number of people being vaccinated was around 15 to 20 targets per day," he said. .

According to Baning, the coverage of booster vaccination is low compared to the first and second doses, because people's desire to get a booster is low. Moreover, in Kulon Progo, the number of travelers is relatively low, and there are no malls either.

"People think that vaccination twice is enough," he said.

Head of the Kulon Progo Health Service, Sri Budi Utami, said that the problem with booster vaccination is that the public's interest in vaccination is not as high as when the first and second doses of vaccines were present.

This is probably due to the very low rate of COVID-19 cases.

"People feel vaccinated twice is enough," he said.

In addition, Sri Budi continued, the public's low interest in booster vaccination is that there is no obligation for booster vaccinations for the community, especially when traveling or to certain places.

"Then, there is information on the number of immunity for COVID-19 which is quite high from a survey that has been carried out by the center," he said.