Most COVID-19 patients who died were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated against the virus, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated.

“We remind you all once again that most people who died were those who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated,” Sadikin noted during an online press conference accessed here on Sunday.

Hence, the government is currently prioritizing vaccinations, especially for older adults, and completing the vaccination for vaccine recipients, who have not completed the two-dose series.

According to Sadikin, as many as 344 million vaccine doses have been administered under the national vaccination program.

The minister explained that around 70 percent of Indonesian citizens had received the first vaccine dose, and the government is targeting to reach the same figure for the second dose vaccinations.

The minister noted that if Indonesia’s vaccination drive has reached the target, it could become one of the bases for consideration in formulating policies for the Eid al-Fitr holiday period later.

He expressed hope that people would celebrate Eid al-Fitr in a different way as compared to the past years under the condition that the second dose vaccinations are accelerated.

In addition, he affirmed that the ministry will conduct a serological survey as a basis for issuing policies for the Eid period.

“We will conduct a serosurvey in March, so that later in April, if possible, the results will be out as a basis for us to make policies related to the period before Eid al-Fitr,” he remarked.

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

According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of February 27, 2022, nearly 190,672,557 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 jab, 143,778,623 have been fully vaccinated, and 9,809,784 have received the booster shot.

Source: Antara News