Stock Startsip, The Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force Asks For Additional Vaccines From The Center

The State Intelligence Agency held a mass vaccination at Grand Mall Batam, Thursday (Special/ANTARA)

KEPRI - The Riau Islands Province COVID-19 Handling Task Force has twice sent a letter to the central government to add vaccines because stocks are running low. Secretary of the Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Muhamad Darwin, said that vaccine stocks in a number of regencies and cities had run out, such as Tanjungpinang, Natuna Regency, Karimun and Anambas Islands Regency. Meanwhile, there are only 300 doses of vaccine stock in Batam, 168 Bintan doses and 432 doses of Lingga. "The district and city task force has also asked us for vaccines," he said in Tanjungpinang City, Antara, September 22. Darwin said that the supply of vaccines at the center was also running low, so the Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force understood that until now the vaccine had not been distributed to Riau Islands. "At the center, it is also running low. We believe that the central government will take quick steps so that the stock of vaccines in Riau Islands is adequate," he said. The head of the Riau Islands ESDM Service appealed to the public, especially those who wanted to travel outside the province to be patient. The Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force immediately announced to the public that the vaccine was distributed to the Riau Islands. "We ask you to be patient, hopefully in the near future the center will distribute the vaccine to Riau Islands again," he said. Spokesman for the Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Tjetjep Yudiana, hopes that the central government will immediately distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to Riau Islands. "We want the vaccination program to achieve the target so that community immunity is formed communally," he said. The former Head of the Riau Islands Health Service also appealed to the public not to delay the injection of the COVID-19 vaccine when there was already a vaccine stock at the puskesmas. He reminded that the injection of the vaccine was a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination activities are intensively carried out by the central and regional governments to protect the community. "So the injection of the vaccine is not to meet the requirements for traveling outside the province, but the need for life. No more thoughts like that, which cause people to only want vaccines when they want to leave the area," he said.