Senior Citizen Cycles to Vaccination Spot, Undeterred by Antivaxxers
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29 July 2021 21:26 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A resident of Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi, Safarauddin (67) cycled 15 kilometers from his house to Nipah Mall in Panakukkang, Makassar City, on Wednesday to get his Covid-19 shot in a mass-vaccination event held by the Hadji Kalla Foundation.
His story went viral on social media, especially after his motivation to cycle that far in his old age was undeterred by people around him, who were saturated by hoax information regarding vaccines that initially suggested Safaruddin to do otherwise.
The foundation held the vaccination together with the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) across four locations in the region, one of which is the IDI Makassar City headquarters.
Despite people discouraging him against having the vaccine, Safarauddin cycled his way early in the morning and arrived at the location before the locals arrived.
He initially tried to head back home after finding out that an online registration was required to have the shot. As a person that does not own a mobile phone, he understandably did not know what to do and mainly stood still at the waiting area.
Fortunately, one of the officers noticed Safaruddin and asked about his situation before guiding him to register manually and queue for the Covid-19 shot. On the viral video, Safaruddin can be seen very thankful for the opportunity. “I am finally vaccinated,” he said.
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SRI RAHMAWATI