As many as 244,890 residents of Banjarmasin city in South Kalimantan have received their first COVID-19 shot as of Sunday, according to the local health office.

The vaccine recipients account for 47 percent of the 515,975 residents targeted by the vaccine drive, it said.

Meanwhile, 146,345 residents, or 28 percent of the targeted recipients, have received the second shot of the vaccine, Head of the Banjarmasin City Health Office Machi Riyadi informed in Banjarmasin on Monday.

The third or booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to 4,024 healthcare workers, he said.

Amid the enforcement of Level 4 public activity restrictions (PPKM), the city government has intensified vaccinations to achieve a vaccination coverage of at least 50 percent, Riyadi informed.

In addition, the city government is also conducting a mass vaccination campaign from September 26 to October 20, 2021, with the target of vaccinating 100 thousand residents, he said.

“As many as 764 residents received their first shots, 564 residents got the second shots, and 30 residents obtained the third shots of the COVID-19 vaccine yesterday,” he said.

Riyadi said he is optimistic that the COVID-19 vaccination coverage will cross 50 percent at the end of the Level 4 PPKM in October 2021 so that the city’s PPKM status can be lowered.

The city government has also asked local residents to uphold the health protocols in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, he added.

“Stay disciplined to follow the health protocols so we will be able to fight against COVID-19 together,” he urged.

Source: Antara News