2.566 Employees Of Ministry Of National Development Planning Agency Injected With COVID-19 Vaccine, Suharso: We Always Want To Prevent Transmission

Head of Bappenas Suharso Monoarfa. (Photo: Capture screen from Bappenas)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of National Development Planning (PPN) or the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has vaccinated COVID-19 for 2.566 employees within the ministry. The goal is to reduce the growth rate of active cases of COVID-19, especially within the ministry.

Head of Bappenas Suharso Monoarfa said that his party always checks employees within the ministry by means of PCR swab tests which have been carried out regularly since September 2020.

"Today, Bappenas is conducting vaccinations for 2.566 employees and as we know, Bappenas has conducted testing at that time, we conducted a rapid test on June 8, 2020. We have also conducted mass PCR Swab tests starting from September, November, December, January, so and yesterday this February", he said, during the vaccination program for Bappenas employees, Monday, February 22.

According to Suharso, this routine COVID-19 health test aims to prevent transmission of the virus within the ministry. Including the families of Bappenas employees.

"What I want to say is that Bappenas always thinks about, helps prevent at least the extended family at Bappenas because we want to face this pandemic together for the safety of all of us. The safety of us who work at Bappenas and their families at home", he said.

Furthermore, Suharso explained that the COVID-19 vaccination carried out by the government aims to achieve herd immunity or group immunity. According to him, if there is no obstacle, herd immunity can be achieved by 2022.

"Hopefully, if nothing gets in the way for the next 15 months, our calculation is that Indonesia will reach herd immunity in March next year. God willing, we can succeed. At least based on the calculation of the number of vaccines that have confirmed more than 428 million and This is to be injected in nearly 182 million Indonesians over the age of 18 and with an additional 15 percent of reserves", he explained.

Stick to health protocols

Suharso said that Bappenas also counted with epidemiologists including from the University of Indonesia to accelerate the decline in the rate of case increase, Indonesia had to catch up to at least 40 percent of the 182 million people who were injected with the vaccine.

"Based on the number of vaccines we will achieve it in September. But hopefully, we can be faster than that", he said.

However, said Suharso, reducing the growth rate of active COVID-19 cases in the country is not enough to rely solely on COVID-19 vaccination. He said that vaccination would be useless if people did not discipline health protocols.

"We can hammer, beat the virus to decrease the rate of case increase but still uphold the discipline of health protocols. We still have to keep our distance, wear masks, wash our hands, avoid crowds and if not necessary, mobility is very necessary to be reduced", he said.

In fact, he said, to prevent the transmission of the virus within the ministry, his party is implementing a work from home (WFH) system or working from home every Monday and Friday.

"Bappenas has also conducted WFH. We also have an integrated digital workplace application system. With this pandemic, IDW is very helpful so that to this day Bappenas is actually 100 percent WFH, only Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday they work in offices and they are divided into three", he explained.