Deputy Governor of Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria urged the public to immediately complete the COVID-19 vaccination, including the third dose or booster, as a precautionary measure against the impact of new variants of Omicron.
“We will also increase the booster vaccine in the public to ensure that everyone will receive it,” Patria stated here, Monday.
The deputy governor later reported that the Jakarta provincial government was readying facilities and infrastructure, including health workers, as well as disseminating information about the booster vaccination.
Patria also expressed optimism that the public would be more aware of protecting themselves by taking vaccinations and diligently following health protocols.
“Prevention efforts have been made along with the Ministry of Health. The Jakarta provincial government has prepared facilities and infrastructure for disseminating information to health workers, but the important aspect is the public’s awareness,” he affirmed.
Earlier, the Health Ministry had reported four cases of new variants of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 in Bali Province.
“Currently, Variants under Monitoring (VuM), such as Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, have been emerging. This has triggered an increase in cases in Europe, America, and Asia. It was found in Bali as well, with four people affected,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated on June 10.
Sadikin remarked that the BA.4 and BA.5 variants had characteristics that enabled them to evade the immunity developed by the human body by vaccination and could spread rapidly.
Meanwhile, based on the Jakarta provincial government’s data on June 12, vaccination achievement in Jakarta for the first dose had reached 12.5 million people, or 124.4 percent of the target of 10 million people.
The second dose of vaccination was administered to 10.7 million people, while the third dose of vaccination was given to 3.94 million people.
On June 12, the regional government noted that vaccinations were still ongoing, with 310 people in Jakarta administered the first dose of vaccination.
The second dose of vaccination was given to 240 people, and the third dose vaccination was administered to 1,340 people.
Source: Antara News