The number of recipients of the third dose or first booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine reached 68.51 million as of Friday, according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force

Based on data received from the task force here on Friday, the number of citizens who have received the first booster dose rose by 42,820 on Friday, taking the total count to 68,506,318.

Thus, the first booster coverage reached 29.19 percent of the total 234,666,020 targeted recipients.

On Friday, the number of first dose recipients swelled by 9,193 to touch 204,019,421. Thus, the coverage of the first dose reached 86.94 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of second dose recipients rose by 13,166 to 174,761,203, or reached 74.47 percent of the target.

Then, the number of fourth dose or second booster recipients–namely health workers and older adults–increased by 4,717 to reach 1,166,835 on Friday.

As part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.

The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of Friday, the nation has recorded 6,719,327 COVID-19 cases, 6,545,132 recoveries, and 160,593 deaths.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has stressed that COVID-19 vaccinations must continue to be encouraged to bolster people’s immunity.

“We need to continue encouraging citizens to get their (COVID-19) vaccines, either the booster dose or the first two doses,” he said at the State Palace here on Friday.

He also asked people to take initiative to prevent COVID-19 transmission, detect symptoms, and seek treatment, if infected.

“Awareness of vaccination must continue to be promoted because it will help bolster immunity, and residents must be more independent in preventing (COVID-19) transmission,” he said.

Source: Antara News