The Central Java government has said it will commence COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 6–11 years soon.

The decision has come following the issuance of the Home Affairs Minister’s Instruction Number 66 of 2021 regarding COVID-19 Prevention and Handling during Christmas and New Year’s Holidays.

“Many people have asked (about children’s vaccinations), including the Tegal Mayor. We will accelerate the implementation after it has been approved,” Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo informed in Semarang on Friday.

COVID-19 vaccinations for children are scheduled to be administered starting December 24, 2021, and regions can carry out vaccinations for children aged 6–11 if their first dose vaccination coverage has reached 70 percent and elderly vaccinations have reached 60 percent, the governor said.

According to Pranowo, the current vaccine stock is adequate and as soon as the vaccine doses that will be administered to children are available, his administration will expedite vaccinations.

Almost all regions in the province have met the conditions to implement children’s vaccinations, he added.

Currently, there are only three districts that are of concern, namely Brebes, Pemalang, and Tegal, he said.

“Teams from the provincial government of Central Java have been mobilized to assist those three districts. We have pushed the district heads and regional secretaries (of the three districts) to expedite vaccinations,” the governor informed.

In a bid to boost immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government had launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.

According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of December 10, 2021, nearly 145,085,912 citizens have received their first COVID-19 shot, while 101,794,596 have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) has given permission for the emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine for children aged 6 to 11.

Source: Antara News