DKI Governor Heru Calls Minister of Health Prioritizing New Stock of COVID-19 Vaccine for Jakarta

ILLUSTRATION BETWEEN

JAKARTA - The Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono communicated directly with the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, regarding the need for a COVID-19 vaccine in Jakarta, which is now out of stock.

As a result, currently, several new vaccine doses have arrived in Indonesia. Budi Gunadi will prioritize DKI as the target area for vaccine distribution.

"I have communicated directly with the Minister (Budi Gunadi) and he said that the vaccine has just arrived in Indonesia. The Minister of Health has given priority to DKI", said Heru at the DKI Jakarta DPRD building, Thursday, October 27.

Heru admitted that he did not know the number of vaccine doses that would be imported to Jakarta. Meanwhile, to accelerate the stock of vaccines for distribution to various vaccination service centers, the Health Office will pick up the vaccine directly from the Ministry of Health.

"One of the ranks of the health office I asked to immediately pick up the ball. The distribution date, if the information I get, is as soon as possible. What is clear is that the priority for DKI is prioritized", said Heru.

Confirmed separately, the Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, admitted that the stock of vaccines distributed by the central government to the regions was indeed limited.

"(The stock of vaccines) is limited and not empty because some are spread in health facilities but the rate of injection is different. So, some are empty, and some are still available even though they are limited", said Nadia.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is trying to relocate vaccine distribution from areas that are still sufficient to other areas that are lacking. It is targeted that within the next week the stock of vaccines will be available again in normal quantities.

Based on the records of the DKI Health Office, as of October 26, the remaining doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Jakarta were 536 doses. The details are 132 doses in Central Jakarta, 42 doses in North Jakarta, 96 doses in South Jakarta, and 266 doses in East Jakarta.