The COVID-19 Emergency Is Not Over Yet, The Epidemiologist Appealed To The Public To Complete The Vaccine

Epidemiologist, Iwan Ariawan. (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - The Directorate of Health Promotion and Community Empowerment of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenkes RI), together with the Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 program supported by The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has expanded access to COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia by carrying out risk communication activities and community involvement to build awareness of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination. This is especially intended for vulnerable people such as the elderly, indigenous peoples, cultural communities and the general public in order to complete the vaccination dose and not be careless and remain obedient to health protocols. Speaking at the Media Briefing event titled “SIAP Continue the ProKes, READY to Complete its Vaccination ” today Monday 7 November which was conducted online in Jakarta, Epidemiologist, dr. Iwan Ariawan, MSPH said the COVID-19 emergency in Indonesia is not over yet, especially now that new variants have emerged. "So let's immediately end this pandemic by completing the COVID-19 vaccination until the booster and continuing to carry out health procedures," he said. Also present at the Media Briefing were Haerani Dahlan, SIP, M.Si, Assistant General Administration of the Sinjai Regional Secretariat representing the Regent of Sinjai, South Sulawesi, Andi Seto Gadhista Asapa, SH, LL.M; David Stanton, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases USAID Indonesia/Health Office; Fitri Putjuk, Indonesia Country Representative Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHCCP) and Dian Rosdiana, Communication Team Leader Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 program. It is undeniable that the current vaccination gap is still large. The latest data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in September 2022 shows that of the total 210 million people in Indonesia who have received the COVID-19 vaccination, only 43,967,085 have completed the vaccination dose. In the elderly group, only 6,698,254 have completed the vaccination dose. There are still many groups of people who have not been represented and have access to vaccinations due to social, cultural and economic barriers, such as the elderly, indigenous peoples, religions, and cultural arts workers. In addition, another challenge that still needs to be considered is the obstacle to access and supply of vaccinations. This shows that there is still a great need for encouragement to promote and motivate the public to complete the vaccination dose and raise the urgency of the government to pay attention to access and supply of vaccines. Apart from issues related to vaccination, before the pandemic has really ended, the encouragement and motivation to continue to carry out health protocols must also be campaigned for. On the other hand, after almost three years of being treated to by news related to COVID-19, the public and the media are tired of receiving information related to COVID-19. Currently what is happening is endemic euphoria. The media, both national and regional, no longer publishes news related to COVID-19, even though the media has the greatest influence in building public opinion, especially in a pandemic situation. The need for news and information about COVID-19 from another point of view in the media is still needed, especially positive news about vaccinations and the implementation of health protocols as the main measure against COVID-19 which has not ended until now. Supporting the government's readiness to implement vaccinations, including increasing access and acceptance of vaccines for all eligible populations, overcoming doubts, and fighting misinformation and disinformation about vaccines, the Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 program, since December 2021 has carried out a SIAP (Community Gets Full Vaccination) campaign that has involved various parties from the National, Regional and Community governments, especially vulnerable communities such as the elderly, indigenous people, cultural communities and the general public in several districts that are the focus of implementing activities, including Riau province: Kampar Regency, and Dumai City, East Java province: Lumajang Regency and Pasuruan Regency, West Kalimantan province: Kubu Raya and North Kayong regencies, South Sulawesi provinces: Bantaeng Regency and Sinjai Regency, NTT province: Kupang Regency and South Central Timor Regency. According to Dian Rosdiana, the Communication Team Leader Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 program, many lessons can be learned when her party conducts a SIAP campaign that has succeeded in reaching more than 167 million populations and producing thousands of agents of change in the implementation of this Vaccination Program. "The success faced in the field is the result of joint work with the involvement and commitment of national leaders, regions and community leaders, taking a very important role in the success of the implementation of vaccination both nationally and in the regions," explained Dian. According to Dian's statement, Andi Seto Gadhista Asapa, SH, LLM, the Regent of Sinjai - South Sulawesi, whose presence was represented by Haerani Dahlan, SIP, M.Si, Assistant General Administration of the Sinjai Regency Regional Secretariat, and his area was included in the Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 campaign program, said that his party felt very lucky and grateful because our area was included in this campaign program. With diverse conditions of society, living far away, such as the fishing community, farmers, and other vulnerable community groups, including the elderly who need a special approach, the synergy of the Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 team, the active role of the community and us as local governments, are able to persuade people who are still doubtful about the safety of vaccines. deserves thumbs up. "It is evident from the beginning before the Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 team helped the vaccination program in our region, the achievement of the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination was 69.2 percent and the second stage was 27.69 percent (as of December 2021), and after the Breakthrough ACTION for COVID-19 team entered the data as of October 2022 recorded the achievement of COVID-19 vaccination phase I to be 85.57 percent, phase II 55.14 percent, and stage III 10.4 percent," he explained. "We have learned a lot during this program campaign period, public awareness of the surrounding conditions is also getting built, so we hope these good things can be learned and can be applied in other areas in Indonesia," he concluded.