TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in collaboration with the National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) held a COVID-19 vaccination for residents of Kota Tua (Old Town) in Jakarta.

"MUI protects the people from the dangers of COVID-19. MUI must be at the forefront of helping the country in alleviating COVID-19 which has become a global pandemic. The people must be saved," Deputy Secretary General of The Indonesian Ulema Council M. Azrul Tanjung said in a statement here on Sunday.

He said the vaccination was carried out on Saturday (17/7) with a target of 1,000 participants.

However, the number of people who were interested in joining the vaccinations exceeded the target, as more than 1,655 people turned out.

"Thank God, public awareness of the importance of this vaccine is so high," he said.

The MUI will continue to play a role in accordance with MUI's mission, namely, "To be a protector and servant of the people".

"We will continue to fight together with other organizations for the benefit of the people's health, until this COVID-19 disappears from Indonesia," he said.

The sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is most likely caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, Chairman of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences' (LIPI's) SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Team, Sugiyono Saputra, earlier stated.

"Based on data from the GISAID, where the SARS-CoV-2 genome has been successfully sequenced and identified in the last three weeks, more than 95 percent were the Delta variant, whilst the rest comprised the Alpha variant and the Indonesian one," Saputra noted in a statement on Saturday.

He explained that based on the research conducted at LIPI's Bio Safety Level 3 laboratory, by taking samples for eight consecutive days between June 10 and June 18, almost 100 percent of the findings involved the Delta variant.

"It was proven by the data that the spike in the number of cases in Indonesia was caused by the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus," he stated.

Read also: Vice Health Minister Lauds Riau Islands' Vaccination Rate

ANTARA