VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A health worker inoculates a resident in Pancoran sub-district, South Jakarta on Wednesday. (ANTARA/HO-Sub Precinct Pancoran) - 

At least 20,044,187 Indonesians have received the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Saturday, according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

The number of Indonesians administered the first dose of the vaccine rose by 374,219 on Saturday, it said.

Meanwhile, with 33,500 people receiving their second shot, the number of fully vaccinated people reached 11,559,138, it added.

The government is targeting to vaccinate 40,349,049 people against COVID-19 in the first and second phases of the national vaccination program, which is prioritizing healthcare workers, public service officers, and senior citizens.

Following a spike in COVID-19 cases in several parts of Indonesia, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has asked Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin to expand the vaccination program to inoculate one million people per day.

According to the Health Ministry, Indonesia’s daily COVID-19 cases rose by 7,465 on Saturday to reach 1,901,490.

Meanwhile, the number of patients treated at hospitals increased by 2,009, bringing the total number of active cases to 108,324.

Jakarta recorded the highest single-day increase in cases at 2,455, followed by Central Java (915) and West Java (876).

With 169 people dying of the coronavirus, the death toll climbed to 52,730.

Meanwhile, the number of patients recovering from the infection rose by 5,292 to reach 1,740,436.

The Health Ministry said 97,969 specimens were examined for the presence of the virus using antigen swab tests, molecular tests, and polymerase chain rapid (PCR) swab tests, while 106,894 people suspected of contracting the virus were placed under surveillance.

Overall, the government is aiming to vaccinate 181.5 million citizens, or 70 percent of the population, to create herd immunity against the virus//ANT