The Health Ministry is aiming to complete administering second dose COVID-19 vaccinations to targeted recipients by March-April 2022, spokesperson for COVID-19 handling Dr. Reisa Broto Asmoro has said.

By that time, the government is targeting to vaccinate 70 percent of the population, she informed.

“The Ministry of Health has targeted complete vaccination of 208.2 million citizens by March or April next year,” she said at a virtual press conference here on Friday.

The government is targeting to give 208,265,720 Indonesian people both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of efforts to build herd immunity against the coronavirus, she explained.

According to the Health Ministry, 145,085,912 people or 69.66 percent of the targeted recipients have received the first dose as of 12 p.m. local time on Friday,

Meanwhile, the recipients of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have reached 101,794,596 people, or 48.88 percent of the target, the ministry added.

With this achievement, Indonesia is the fifth country with the highest complete vaccination coverage after China, India, the United States, and Brazil, Asmoro explained.

She then invited all parties to help make the COVID-19 vaccination program a success, either through participating in government programs or the mutual cooperation mechanism promoted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and the private sector.

She underlined the importance of vaccines that have been proven effective in reducing morbidity and mortality upon COVID-19 exposure.

In addition, vaccination is now becoming a requirement for domestic and overseas travel, she noted.

“We have successfully achieved this vaccination coverage by the optimal efforts and collaboration from all parties, especially the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), National Police (Polri), regional governments, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), religious and social organizations, many private sector players, as well as Indonesian citizens in general,” she added. (INE)

Source: Antara News