Jokowi Orders The Regent To Guard The COVID-19 Vaccination Program

President Jokowi (DOK Setkab)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) ordered the district head and his staff to continue to oversee the COVID-19 vaccination program.

This was conveyed by Jokowi when he opened the National Conference V of the Association of Indonesian Regency Governments (APKASI) in 2021 at the State Palace.

“The vaccination program is guarded in detail. The implementation is monitored, ”said Jokowi in his remarks broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Friday, March 26.

Jokowi explained the reasons why he has often reviewed mass vaccinations in various regions including North Halmahera. Jokowi said this was done as a way to ensure that the distribution of vaccines was evenly distributed to various regions.

"Why did I check all the way to North Halmahera, to Central Maluku, I checked so far like that, I want to make sure the distribution of our vaccines actually reaches the regions or not," he said.

According to him, this program also needs to be evaluated by regional heads, including the regents. Moreover, currently, the number of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is still insufficient for 181.5 million Indonesians.

"If it is not enough, yes it is not enough. If we want to get a vaccine, this is a lot of 181.5 million," he said.

"But who should be prioritized, who should be prioritized, this is the regent and ladies must know this and must be controlled," said the former governor of DKI Jakarta.

Previously reported, the COVID-19 vaccination program targeted 181.5 million recipients. Those targeted are people aged 18 years and over. Later, vaccine recipients will receive twice the injection dose.

Overall, this national vaccination will be carried out from April 2021 to March 2022 and consists of several stages.

In the first phase, the vaccine is intended for 1.5 million health workers. In the second stage, COVID-19 vaccination is for the elderly and public service workers. The target is 21.5 million elderly and 16.9 million public workers.

They are market traders, educators, religious leaders and counselors, representatives of the people, officials, government, civil servants, TNI-Polri, tourism officers, public services, public transportation workers, athletes, and media workers. This program lasts until May.

Furthermore, vaccination will be carried out for 63.9 million vulnerable people or people living in areas with high risk of infection. Then, other communities as many as 77.7 million people.