Jokowi Asks For Increased Vaccination, Minister Of Health Budi: 5 Million Doses Per Day In August If Needed

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin/Antara

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) requested that the provision of COVID-19 vaccination be increased and quickly meet the target.

Unmitigated, the Minister of Health Budi even targets the provision of COVID-19 vaccine to the public to 5 million doses per day in August.

"It is hoped that the President will achieve 1 million vaccinations (dose per day, ed) in July and 2 million in August. If necessary, increase to 5 million", Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Tuesday, July 6.

To make this vaccination a success, the government will receive tens of millions of doses of vaccine from abroad.

"July 31, million doses of vaccine will come, so we can achieve approximately one million doses and in August there will be 45 million doses of vaccine, so we can increase the number of vaccinations every day", said the former Deputy Minister of SOEs.

The provision of this vaccination is a step to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases in the community due to the Delta variant. Where this variant is more infectious than the previously existing COVID-19 variant.

Previously reported, President Jokowi is targeting the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccination to reach 1 million doses per day in July and 2 million doses per day in August. Jokowi emphasized that this target is non-negotiable and must be met.

This was conveyed when he opened the VIII National Conference of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Wednesday, June 30.

"The target is starting from July 1 million (injections, ed) per day. Must! Because yesterday, our room was still 200-300 thousand per day. Now there is no bargaining! 1 million must be. August, 2 million must be", said Jokowi as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat YouTube broadcast.

With the addition of the target in August, Jokowi hopes that Indonesia's ranking as one of the countries with massive and fast implementation will increase. Moreover, Indonesia currently sits at number 11 out of 215 countries.

"I'm sure it will increase in July-August. I don't know what rank it will rise to, but it will definitely go up because the targets of 1 million and 2 million have been stated many times", he said.

Jokowi also targets the total vaccinations that have been injected every month starting from July. As for now, the total vaccination that has been injected has reached 42 million doses since the vaccination program started in January.

Meanwhile, in July, he targets the COVID-19 vaccine that is injected to reach 34 million doses. This target continues to grow where in August the figure reached 43.7 million; September 53 million; October 84 million; November 80.9 million; and December 71.7 million.

"This is the target I gave. Maybe it's not a small target but I believe it can be done. It's not difficult to have a vaccine", he said.