Indonesia Highlights: Indonesia’s VP Urges Seniors to Take Covid-19 Vaccine | Indonesia to Buy Fighter Jets from Boeing, Dassault Rafale | Indonesia to Activate 'Virtual Police' Unit to Educate Public

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Vice President Ma’ruf Amin on Wednesday received his first Covid-19 vaccine dose, calling senior citizens in the country to participate in the Covid-19 jab drive.

Ma'ruf called on elderly people not to be afraid of participating in the country’s biggest vaccination program.

Elsewhere, Indonesia will buy some Main Equipment and Weapon Systems (alutsista) soon in a bid to strengthen the military defense system.

Below are the editors’ picks stories published on Kompas.com:

Indonesia’s VP Urges Seniors to Take Covid-19 Vaccine

Indonesia’s Vice President Ma’ruf Amin on Wednesday received his first Covid-19 vaccine dose, marking the start of a vaccination program for senior citizens in the non-frontline worker's category.

The vaccination program for the seniors only began this month after the Food and Drug Agency or BPOM issued the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to use Sinovac’s Coronavac vaccine for people above 59 years on February 5, following the promising results of the tests in China and Brazil.

"Alhamdulillah [praise be to God], I just got vaccinated. Alhamdulillah, I have no problem, no pain, no dizziness, it’s all good," said the 77-year-old after receiving the Covid-19 shot at his official residence in Jakarta on February 17.

Accompanying him was Doni Monardo, the chief of the national Covid-19 task force and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and his deputy Dante Saksono Harbuwono.

Previously, Indonesian health care workers above the age of 60 years received their Covid-19 jab on February 11 as the government prioritizes the frontline workers to get the vaccine.

Ma'ruf called on elderly people not to be afraid of participating in the Covid-19 vaccination program.

“I call on the people of advanced age. I’m over 70 years old [during this vaccination program]. The vaccine, Insya Allah [God willing] will have no side effects,” he said.

“Let us take part in the vaccination program so that the Indonesian citizens are immune to the coronavirus as we are not sure when the Covid-19 will last,” the vice president said.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/02/18/195854174/indonesias-vp-urges-seniors-to-take-covid-19-vaccine