No expired COVID-19 vaccines in Malang: city govt

Malang (ANTARA) - The Malang city government has assured the city has no expired COVID-19 vaccines in stock on account of an acceleration in vaccinations.

Head of the Malang Health Service, Dr. Husnul Muarif, said that so far, no vaccines have crossed their expiry date, in line with the increasing vaccination achievements in the city.

"There are no expired vaccines in Malang," Muarif affirmed on Wednesday.

Currently, the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Malang has reached 98 percent for the first dose and 86 percent for the second dose, he informed. Meanwhile, the third or booster dose has been administered to 99 percent of health workers.

The city government is targeting to vaccinate 856 thousand residents to create herd immunity against the coronavirus, he noted.

The vaccination coverage among the elderly has reached 65 percent for the first dose and 54 percent for the second dose, Muarif disclosed. The target of elderly vaccination in Malang is 83,115 people, he noted.

It is hoped that through the regional government's efforts to expedite vaccinations, all residents in Malang would receive COVID-19 shots by the end of 2021, he said.

The Malang government is also trying to reduce its level of community mobility restrictions (PPKM) by trying to meet several indicators, he informed. Malang city is currently implementing Level 2 PPKM, according to the Instruction of the Home Affairs Minister, he said.

"Even though from December 24 (2021), all regions in Indonesia will implement Level 3 PPKM, we are still trying to fulfill all indicators for lowering our PPKM level," he remarked.

Currently, the city has reported 15,637 confirmed cases and 7 active cases of COVID-19. As many as 4,507 people are reported to have recovered while 1,123 people have succumbed to the virus in the city.