Jakarta has become the first Indonesian province to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults, as the capital seeks to boost vaccination coverage.
A circular published by the Health Ministry yesterday stated that vaccine eligibility in Jakarta has been expanded to now include all citizens over the age of 18. The vaccination of the general public can run concurrently with specific programs targeting health workers, the elderly, and at-risk population.
Authorities last expanded Jakarta’s vaccine eligibility on May 5 to include anyone over the age of 18 who live in densely populated neighborhoods and in high-risk areas for COVID-19 transmission.
The ministry’s circular said Jakarta has been chosen to lead the expansion of the mass vaccination program as the capital recorded a significant 7.62 percent spike in COVID-19 cases over the past week.
“It’s important to push down and control the spread of COVID-19 in the province of Jakarta, and one of the ways to do that is by achieving herd immunity through widespread COVID-19 vaccination,” the circular reads.
Another possible reason for the acceleration of vaccinations in Jakarta — though it wasn’t mentioned in the Health Ministry’s circular — is that Jakarta’s remaining stock of 400,000 AstraZeneca vaccines are set to expire at the end of June.
You can register to one of undoubtedly many more vaccination drives to come for Jakartans over the age of 18 here.
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Editor’s note: Added registration link to vaccination drive.
