How Come, Papuan Youths Are Afraid Of COVID-19 Vaccination

Documents - Residents of Jayawijaya who were examined while flying at Wamena Airport (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Youths of the Baptist Church in the interior of Papua are afraid to be vaccinated with the Sinovic vaccine which is planned to be distributed throughout Indonesia, including to the interior of Papua.

Chairman of the Papuan Baptist Youth Sepi Wanimbo by telephone in Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya Regency, Wednesday, January 13, admitted that he had not yet received vaccinations.

"We see incidents in several regions or countries, trying to vaccinate healthy people, but the results are life is threatened and some even die, therefore we from the Papuan Baptist Youth refuse to give Sinovic vaccine," said Sepi Wanimbo.

He hopes that vaccination will not be coercive to the community, as explained in the Health Law Number 23 of 2009 concerning community rights and obligations.

"In the law, article 5 (3) states that every person has the right to independently and responsibly determine the health services that are needed for himself," he said.

He appealed to the youth and society to continue to increase their confidence in the Creator that the plague will end soon.

"To this day I have seen the spread of COVID-19 in the Land of Papua gradually disappearing itself, this is proof that the Papuan people are guarded and protected by God," he said.

It should be noted that Indonesian President Joko Widodo and several state officials received the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, January 13 at the Presidential Palace.