Central Java Ramps Up Booster Vaccinations via Schools
Editor
19 July 2022 06:21 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has said that the provincial government is working to push up the COVID-19 booster dose coverage by organizing vaccination programs at schools in the province.
"Based on my conversations with the students, many of their parents have not (been vaccinated), many of their grandparents have not (been vaccinated)," Pranowo noted after monitoring the implementation of third-dose vaccinations at Purwokerto 2 Public Vocational School, here on Monday.
For this reason, the government will use schools as centers for third-dose vaccinations so that students can get the vaccine and the vaccination achievement can be accelerated, he explained.
The governor then asked all teachers to support the implementation of third-dose vaccinations.
"We can ask (the students): Have your parents (gotten the vaccine)? Have your grandparents? Have your neighbors? This means, in general, we will be able to know the condition," he said.
That way, it would be possible to invite the community to get the vaccine so that booster vaccinations can be accelerated, he pointed out.
He said he expects the community to remain alert and participate in booster vaccinations without having to be asked first.
According to him, the booster vaccine has become a requirement for the community to conduct several activities, for example, visiting malls and traveling.
Meanwhile, head of the Health Office of Central Java province, Yunita Dyah Suminar, informed that the booster dose coverage in Central Java has only reached 24.67 percent of the province's total population so far.
According to her, the low coverage is because many people think that two vaccine doses are enough to keep them safe from COVID-19. In this case, the community's enthusiasm to get the booster dose has been different from when they were getting the first and second doses, she explained.
Of the 35 districts and cities in Central Java, only Tegal and Pemalang districts have not reached 70-percent second dose coverage, she noted.
ANTARA
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