At least 1,037,195 or 75.52 percent of Riau Islands residents aged 18 years and older have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, the COVID-19 Task Force has reported.

A total of 1,373,372 people were targeted for the first dose of vaccination in the 18 and above age group, Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad said here on Saturday.

On average, 10 thousand vaccines have been administered daily to people from the age group, he informed.

Meanwhile, the number of recipients of the second dose of vaccination who are aged 18 and above is relatively small at 468,673 or 34.13 percent of the target, the governor noted.

Meanwhile, in the 12-17 age group, 207,663 Riau Islands teenagers have received the vaccine,  he said. The number of teenagers who have received the first dose of the vaccine has reached 143,321 or 69.02 percent of the target, while the number of those who have received the second dose has touched 54,273 or 26.14 percent of the target, he added.

“The mass vaccination has involved a number of state institutions and other parties and has encouraged the hastening of vaccination. This is still ongoing. We appreciate all parties involved in the mass vaccination,” Ahmad said.

In Tanjungpinang, the government is targeting to vaccinate 154,242 residents aged 18 and above, he informed. The first dose has been administered to 123,141 people or 79.84 percent of the target, while the second dose has been provided to 82,553 people or 53.52 percent of the targeted recipients, he said.

Meanwhile, in the 12-17 age group, 18,780 or 78.95 percent of targeted residents have received the first dose of vaccination, while 8,933 or 37.55 percent of residents have received the second vaccine shot,he noted. In Batam, the vaccination program is targeting 789,451 people aged 18 years and over, he said. While 594,492 or 75.30 percent of the targeted recipients have received the first dose, the second dose has been administered to 235,400 people or 29.82 percent of the target, he added.

In the 12-17 age group, 117,866 Batam residents have been targeted for the first dose of vaccination, the governor said. While 78,979 or 67.01 percent of the targeted recipients have so far received the first shot, 26,400 people or 22.40 percent of the targeted recipients have been given the second dose in this age group, he sated.

In Bintan district, 107,028 people aged 18 and above have been targeted for the first dose of vaccination. While 81,236 or 75.90 percent of the targeted recipients have received the first dose, 48,294 people or 45.12 percent of the target have received the second dose, Ahmad informed.

In the 12-17 age group, 13,291 or 80.13 percent of the targeted recipients have been vaccinated, he added.

In Karimun district, 171,588 residents aged 18 years and above have been targeted by the vaccination program, the governor said. So far, the first dose has been given to 127,371 or 74.23 percent of the targeted recipients, while the second dose has been provided to 60,107 or 35.03 percent of the targeted recipients, he added. In the 12-17 age group, 15,860 or 65.34 percent of the target group have been given the first dose, while 5,413 or 22.30 percent of the targeted recipients have been provided the second dose, he said.

In Lingga district, 67,266 residents aged 18 years and above have been targeted by the vaccination program. While 45,331 or 67.39 percent of residents have obtained the first vaccine dose, 14,883 or 22.13 percent of the targeted residents have received the second dose. Meanwhile, of the 10,547 targeted recipients in the 12-17 age group, 5,835 or 55.32 percent of the targeted recipients have taken the first shot, while 2,181 or 20.68 percent of the the targeted recipients have received the second jab, the governor said.

In Natuna, 52,670 residents aged 18 and above have been targeted by the vaccine program, with 42,583 people or 80.71 percent of residents getting the first dose, and the second and 16,567 or 31.40 percent residents receiving the second vaccine dose, Ahmad said. In the 12-17 age group, of the 9,323 targeted recipients, 6,869 or 73.68 percent have received the first dose, while 3,316 or 35.57 percent have been administered the second dose, Ahmad disclosed. In the Anambas Islands, 31,037 residents aged 18 years and above have been targeted under the vaccination program. While 23,041 or 74.24 percent of the targeted recipients have taken the first dose, 10,869 or 35.02 percent of the targeted recipients have taken the second dose, the governor said. Of the 5,279 targeted recipients in the 12-17 age group, the first dose has been administered to 3,707 or 70.22 percent of the target and the second dose has been provided to 1,613 or 30.56 percent of the target, he added.

“We urge residents to get vaccinated to boost their immune system from the COVID-19 strike,” he said.

The effort to vaccinate residents of Riau Islands is in line with the agenda laid out by the central government.

President Joko Widodo is currently pushing for the vaccination of 70 percent of the Indonesian population by the end of 2021. He has instructed ministries and agencies to help the nation achieve the target.

Meanwhile, an expert from the Center for Indonesian Policy Study (CIPS), Andree Surianta, has forecast that the state will be able to vaccinate 2.7 million people per day should more vaccine stocks from overseas arrive in Indonesia.

Source: Antara News