Yogyakarta (ANTARA) – Hundreds of students from Budi Utama Junior High School and Senior High School received the second dose of vaccinations facilitated by Yogyakarta’s provincial Intelligence bureaus (Binda) in collaboration with the Sleman Government. The second dose of COVID-19 vaccination was a follow-up to the first round conducted on July 14, 2021, Regional Coordinator of Yogyakarta Binda Adi Riyanto, said while reviewing the COVID-19 vaccination of students at Budi Utama Junior High School Yogyakarta in Mlati, Sleman, on Wednesday.
“This vaccination for students is a direct mandate from President Joko Widodo to the Head of BIN (State Intelligence Agency). Therefore, Binda synergizes with local government to help expedite reaching the government’s vaccination target,” he said.
The mass COVID-19 vaccination for students aged 12 to 17 targets 500 students, the same as the previous vaccination for the first dose, according to him.
In the midst of increasing positive cases of COVID-19 and deaths from the coronavirus, vaccination is one of the ways to reduce the risk of transmission and as an effort to build immunity, Riyanto said.
“Hopefully, the (offline) teaching and learning process can be implemented immediately after herd immunity is achieved, which requires 70 percent of the population to be vaccinated,” he said.
Earlier, the Health Ministry finally allowed children aged 12 to 17 years to be vaccinated by issuing Circular Letter Number HK.02.02/I/1727/2021 on the third phase of vaccination for vulnerable people and the general public, as well as vaccinations for children in the age group of 12 to 17 years.
In a bid to reduce COVID-19 transmission and build herd immunity, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, with President Joko Widodo being the first recipient.
Source: Antara News