Indonesia's Vaccination Rate Declines despite Abundant Stock; Minister Explains

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the rate of Covid-19 vaccination has decreased over the past six weeks. He said that in October the inoculation rate was almost two million shots per day, and since November it has reduced by half.

"Now it's only around 1 million per day on average," he said in a working meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission IX, Tuesday, December 14.

The slowdown, Budi said, is because the government is now focusing on vaccinating people living in secondary, more remote cities.

He added that the Health Ministry is coordinating with local governments, the armed forces and the police to push vaccine rollouts until the end of the year, estimating to have 109 million, or 40 percent of Indonesia's 270 million population, vaccinated by Christmas time.

"Frankly it very much depends on regional heads. So I am asking local governments for their help, because the Health Ministry does not have the ability to do the fieldwork since the Law on Regional Autonomy," Budi remarked.

Regarding vaccine availability, he said that Indonesia has very adequate stock, but the inoculation rate is slow.

"Our vaccine stock is almost 100 million, but injections are slow. Fifty million more will arrive soon. I believe we will have enough stock until April. We are doing whatever's necessary to [use them before the expiration dates]," he said.

To date, Budi added, only 13 provinces have met the first dose target of 70 percent of the population. High population provinces that have not me that target are: West Java, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, and South Sulawesi.

Read: Jakarta to Start Vaccinating Children against COVID-19 Tomorrow

Dewi Nurita