The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination has been administered to 51.38 of the targeted population in North Sumatra province, the Health Office has informed.

“First dose vaccination (coverage) has reached 51.38 percent. Meanwhile, the second dose vaccination has reached 31 percent,” head of North Sumatra Health Office, Ismail Lubis, said here on Thursday.

The North Sumatra government is continuing to intensify vaccinations to reach the 70-percent coverage target by the end of 2021 for building herd immunity, he affirmed.

“We continue to intensify vaccinations in all districts and cities in North Sumatra,” he said.

According to Lubis, people’s understanding of the importance of vaccination is much better than before. Nowadays, residents are enthusiastic about getting vaccinated, he observed.

“Sometimes, many people come by themselves to get vaccinated and ask us where the mass vaccination sites are,” he said.

He then appealed to people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to continue to comply with the 5M health protocols—wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining social distance, reducing mobility, and avoiding crowds.

“It is hoped that all activities can go back to normalcy and the COVID-19 virus will disappear from North Sumatra,” he remarked.

To build people’s immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021. President Joko Widodo was the first vaccine recipient under the program.

The central government is aiming to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the Indonesian population by December 2021.

According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of November 11, 2021, nearly 128,147,345 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 vaccine, while 81,711,099 people have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

Source: Antara News