RIAU - The Riau Islands Provincial Government (Kepri Provincial Government) has returned around 200 thousand doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the central government because it has expired.
Head of the Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Ansar Ahmad, said the expired vaccine did not come from the center, but from other provinces sent to Riau Islands in the July-August 2022 period.
The average vaccine use period is only two weeks before expiration so it is not fully achieved.
"Because the center considers the achievement of vaccination in Riau Islands to be quite good compared to other provinces, vaccines from other provinces are distributed to Riau Islands," he said in Tanjungpinang, Antara, Thursday, September 29.
The governor added that the vaccine in Riau Islands has now run out. He has asked the center to send a vaccine so that the vaccination program in the region is achieved.
"Kepri needs about 1.6 million doses of vaccine," said Ansar Ahmad.
Spokesman for the Riau Islands COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Dr. Tjetjep Yudiana, said that his party had twice sent a letter of application to the central government to immediately distribute the vaccine to the Riau Islands. "Hopefully it will be sent to the Riau Islands soon," he said.
The former Head of the Riau Islands Health Service stated that the achievement of the first dose of vaccination was 1,788,992 people or 99.24 percent, the second dose was 1,534,590 people or 85.13 percent, and the third dose was 734,438 people or 53.48 percent.
A total of 7,475 health workers have also received the second booster dose of vaccine.
"The achievement of vaccination for children and adolescents is quite high. However, for the elderly group, we are still pushing to reach more than 70 percent. Currently, 32,731 people have received the booster dose of vaccine or 37.57 percent," said Tjetjep Yudiana.
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