Vaccination Drive Not Fast Enough, Supplies Not Convincing: DPR

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Martin Manurung, deputy chair of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission VI, said that the current volume of covid-19 vaccine stocks is not providing a sense of relief. As Indonesia aims to inoculate at least 181 million population to reach herd immunity, the country needs to secure at least 362 million doses.

"From what I see, the vaccination pace is not optimal, not fast enough. As for supplies, I'm sorry to say that what we have now is not a number that can provide a sense of relief nor ensure that everyone would get the vaccine," he said in a written statement, Wednesday, May 26.

Martin said Indonesia was lackluster at the start of the pandemic, causing non-optimal testing and tracking capacity. This, he claimed, led to numerous social restrictions to curb the coronavirus transmission, such as what happened during the last Eid.

He compared with situations in Russia, where 135 million PCR tests have been conducted for a population of around 144 million. With this data, Russia can manage the pandemic without implementing strict lockdowns and restriction orders.

"That type of pandemic management must be carried out properly, so we don’t have to impose too many strict restrictions," said Martin.

To achieve these targets, he said that the vaccination program should not only be borne by SOEs, but must involve all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector.

"If necessary, we gather all stakeholders in society — as well as the business world, [and work out on] how we can reach the 181 million herd immunity," he said.

According to government records, 24.9 million Indonesians have been injected with Covid-19 vaccines so far.

Read: 27 Deaths Post Sinovac Vaccination Related to Comorbidity: Covid-19 Task Force

Caesar Akbar