The Bantul District Health Office, Yogyakarta, would not offer COVID-19 vaccine services at Eid exodus posts, but it would be provided at the vaccination center located in the office’s yard.
Head of the Bantul Health Office, Agus Budi Raharjo, said that the office is not administering vaccines at the posts because getting vaccinated is already a requirement for participating in the Eid exodus.
People are not supposed to get vaccinated once they arrive; however, they can still avail the service at the vaccination center, he said.
The Bantul Health Office’s COVID-19 vaccination center will offer vaccines to travelers or Bantul residents participating in homecoming as long as there are no problems and they meet the eligibility criteria.
“We do not restrict it. (People) from wherever can participate in vaccination, no problem, but it (must be done) at the vaccination center because we have to (consider) the (capacity) of our human resources and our infrastructure,” Raharjo said.
Apart from human resource concerns, lack of interest has been another factor in the decision to not offer vaccinations at posts, given that the majority of people visiting Bantul would already be vaccinated or have received the booster dose before traveling.
Nevertheless, the Bantul Health Office has prepared several measures to address the possibility of a spike during the 2022 Eid exodus. It has coordinated with medical service providers to set up the Eid homecoming post.
Based on vaccination coverage data from the Bantul Health Office, as of April 12, 2022, the number of people who have received the first dose has reached 788,551, or 87.68 percent of the 899,352 targeted recipients. Meanwhile, the number of second dose recipients has reached 756,034, or 84.06 percent of the targeted population.
Further, as many as 107,305 people, or 14.27 percent of the 752,225 targeted recipients, have received the booster dose.
Source: Antara News