The COVID-19 Handling Task Force reported that as of Saturday, 9.8 million Indonesian citizens have received the third booster COVID-19 vaccination.

According to the task force data, the number of people receiving the booster dose rose by 267,325 on Saturday, taking the total number of people who have received the booster dose to 9,809,490.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have received at least the first dose under the national COVID-19 vaccination program reached 190,672,288, with 141,174 Indonesians receiving their first dose on Saturday.

As for the second dose vaccinations, the number of recipients increased by 494,396 on Saturday to 143,774,691, as per data.

The Indonesian government is targeting to inoculate 208,265,720 citizens, in a bid to achieve community or herd immunity.

The government continues to increase administering COVID-19 vaccinations in various regions in order to accelerate the completion.

The Ministry of Health has reduced the waiting period for people to receive the booster COVID-19 vaccine, from initially six months after their second dose to three months.

“It means the vaccine (shot) interval for all target groups is now three months, from initially six months after completing a primary vaccination series,” spokesperson of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated.

Tarmizi remarked that the latest provision was regulated in Circular Number SR.02.06/11/1180/2022 on Adjustment for the Implementation of COVID-19 Booster Vaccination for the general public, issued on February 25, 2022.

“Protection for the community against COVID-19 should be increased, including by administering the booster shot,” she said.

The Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, as part of the efforts to boost the community’s immunity against COVID-19. President Joko Widodo was the first vaccine recipient under the program.

The government commenced booster vaccinations for the general public on January 12, 2022.

Source: Antara News