The Ministry Of Health Calls That There Are No Sanctions For People Who Refuse COVID-19 Vaccination

COVID-19 Vaccine (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Health Minister (Menkes) Dante Saksono Harbuwono said that until now there has been no sanction for people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Now there are no sanctions or punishments for those who are not vaccinated," said Dante after being vaccinated against COVID-19 at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Thursday, January 14.

The government is still using a persuasive approach for the community to want to vaccinate against COVID-19. Currently the vaccination program is focused first on health workers because they are among the groups most at risk of infection.

"The first stage is now medical personnel, by considering medical personnel who know the best about the effects and conditions of the vaccine, so we will give an example to the public that medical personnel want to be vaccinated, let alone the wider community," said Dante.

The Vice Minister of Health reminded that the goal of the vaccination program is to achieve joint immunity or herd immunity against the SARS CoV 2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Vaccination is not only aimed at individual immunity, but must be carried out together in order to create a larger group immunity which causes the SARS CoV 2 virus to have no place to infect.

"This vaccination is a collective process. What immunization is given is not for one's own interests, but for the common interest. What will be achieved is not individual immunity but ultimately herd immunity," explained Dante.

Therefore, Dante hopes that the community will jointly participate in the COVID-19 vaccination program to make this goal a success.

Dante said the government is targeting the vaccination process to achieve group immunity at least for 70 percent of Indonesia's population which is carried out persuasively.