President to observe simultaneous vaccinations in 12 provinces

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) observed simultaneous vaccinations conducted in 12 provinces to keep the pandemic under control, especially amid the increasing number of Omicron variant cases.

Jokowi called for the vaccination to be expedited, both for the second dose and booster doses.

"There are two keys to controlling (the pandemic) at this time, especially the Omicron variant, with the first being the acceleration of vaccination (rate), both for the second dose vaccination and booster shots," the head of state remarked while observing the simultaneous vaccination through the virtual medium on Thursday.

Jokowi highlighted that adherence to health protocols was another key to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic while reminding everyone to wear masks as part of the aforementioned adherence.

Mass vaccination was conducted in 12 provinces at 5,086 locations, including Bekasi District, Majalengka District, Semarang District, Semarang City, Aceh Province, West Papua Province, North Maluku Province, and East Nusa Tenggara Province.

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo confirmed that 1,100,656 people were targeted to receive the first and second vaccine doses. Among the recipients were educators, the elderly, children aged 5 to 11 years, children in the age bracket of 12-17 years, and members of the general public.

Some 264,611 people were targeted to receive the third dose, or booster vaccine.

The supply of vaccines includes 241,270 doses of AstraZeneca, 93,718 doses of Moderna, 159,100 doses of Pfizer, 23,063 doses of Sinopharm, 82,428 doses of CoronoVac, 200 doses of Johnson and Johnson, and 500,877 doses of Sinovac.

"Meanwhile, at the Jababeka Convention Center, (we are targeting) approximately 10 thousand elderly people, people with disabilities, children, and the general public," Prabowo noted in a statement in Bekasi, West Java. (*)