104 Million People in Indonesia Have Received the First Dose of Covid-19 Vaccine

Kapanlagi.com - Good news was delivered by the Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G.Plate, on Thursday (14/10/2021). According to him, half of the vaccination targets in Indonesia, or 104 million people, have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, 60 million people have received complete vaccination doses.

"The government appreciates all parties who have worked hard to ensure that the vaccination program runs smoothly and as expected," he said on Thursday (14/10/2021).

All Covid-19 Vaccines in Indonesia are Guaranteed Safe

According to Minister Johnny, the government has ensured that all vaccines used in Indonesia are safe and effective in line with the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM).

Johnny stated that currently the whole world is in great need of the Covid-19 vaccine, and Indonesia needs more than 400 million doses of the vaccine. Therefore, the government is trying to obtain vaccines from various manufacturers.

"The presence of various types of Covid-19 vaccines in Indonesia is part of the government's efforts to secure vaccine availability," he said.

Able to Reduce the Risk of Severe Illness

Minister Johnny emphasized that the vaccine is believed to be able to reduce the risk of severe illness if infected with Covid-19. Therefore, the public is urged not to hesitate to accelerate vaccination in order to obtain protection as soon as possible.

"The public is asked not to hesitate anymore and to expedite vaccination to protect themselves and others, including family and close ones. Don't be late," said Johnny.

Elderly and Adolescents are the Focus of the Government

On that occasion, Minister Johnny also stated that the acceleration of vaccination for the elderly and adolescents is still the focus of the government. Until now, only 33.5% of the elderly target group have received the first dose and 21.7% have received the complete dose.

"Meanwhile, only 15.4% of the teenage group have reached the target and 11.3% have received the complete dose," he said.

No Fatal Cases Related to Vaccination

Separately, Chairman of the National Commission on Post-Immunization Adverse Events (KIPI) Prof. Hindra Irawan Satari confirmed that there have been no fatal cases directly related to vaccination. According to him, post-vaccination symptoms are natural reactions of the body in the process of forming antibodies.

Common symptoms that occur after vaccination include fever, nausea, dizziness, muscle pain, drowsiness, redness, and itching. "The body responds, it is stimulated to form immunity," said Prof. Hindra.

To anticipate these symptoms, he suggests several things to consider before vaccination, such as ensuring physical and mental health. "Make sure you are in a healthy and happy condition," he said.

Prof. Hindra assures that the vaccine is safe for the public. The National Commission on Post-Immunization Adverse Events continues to monitor, study, and recommend whether the vaccine is safe or not for the public. If it is safe, they recommend it for the national vaccination program. And it is monitored and evaluated every day.

"Currently, it is better to be vaccinated than not, and the best vaccine is the one available when we are going to be vaccinated," he said.

(kly/tmi)