TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir said 90 percent of Covid-19 patients who died were those who had not been or refused to be vaccinated. The data, he said, was from the Health Ministry.

"Currently, 65 percent of Jakarta residents have been vaccinated. To achieve the herd immunity target of inoculating 72 percent, the existence of this vaccination center is urgently needed. Especially because data from the Health Ministry showed that 90 percent of Covid-19 patients who died were those unwilling to be, or had not been vaccinated," said Erick in a written statement, Wednesday, July 7.

In May, the Indonesian Health Ministry released the result of their rapid study on the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine against 128,290 health workers. It showed that the vaccine is 98 percent effective in preventing deaths starting from day 28 to 63 after the second dose injection.

Even though vaccination is one of the efforts to curb Covid-19 transmission, Erick Thohir reminded the public to keep wearing masks and comply with health protocols.

"We have empathize with our overloaded hospitals. We also have to understand that oxygen supply needs to be increased many times because the demand is increasing," the minister said.

Read: Erick Thohir Staff Clarifies Ivermectin Permit for Covid-19 Treatment

Francisca Christy Rosana