Indonesia Hopes to Achieve Herd Immunity after Administering 100 Million Doses of Covid Vaccines

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian government hoped to achieve the country’s herd immunity target after administering 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, an official said on Wednesday, September 1.

“Hopefully, we achieve the target of herd immunity in time,” the Health Ministry's Covid-19 vaccination program spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi told a virtual press conference.

Nadia called on the public not to be choosy on the Covid-19 vaccines as those used in Indonesia were safe and reliable. “Best vaccine is the one that is available to us right now,” she said.

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She also said that although Covid-19 cases continue to decline, the public should follow health protocols. According to her, many countries with a high percentage of vaccinated residents have experienced an increase in confirmed cases. It includes the US, the UK, Japan, and Israel.

“As we know that the virulent Delta variant increases the severity of coronavirus, affects treatment response, and decreases the efficacy of the vaccine,” she said.

The 100 million shots comprise the first and second doses of vaccination, as well as booster shots. She said that 63.4 million doses have been administered during the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination and 36.05 million doses during the second dose. Meanwhile, 640,532 booster shots have also been administered.

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However, the government still has work to do related to the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly group, which has only reached 5.3 million doses.

“Our homework is to administer more elders because only 5.3 million people or 24.5 percent of the 21.5 million targets have received their first dose of vaccine,” he said.

Last month, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said that to achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021, the government has set a target of vaccinating 77 percent of the total Indonesian population or 200.8 million people.

“I hope that by the end of 2021, they will receive the vaccination to achieve herd immunity. I hope Indonesia to get 77 percent or about 200.8 million people vaccinated,” said Ma'ruf at that time.

Ma'ruf said that vaccinated residents can still get infected but they will be more resilient. “Therefore, I hope that all people will be vaccinated against Covid-19,” he said.

(Writer: Haryanti Puspa Sari | Editor: Icha Rastika)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/09/01/15131531/vaksinasi-covid-19-tembus-100-juta-dosis-kemenkes-harap-target-herd-immunity.