VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

At least 56,045,931 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 vaccine shots as of Thursday afternoon, the COVID-19 Response Task Force has reported.



According to data from the task force, the number of people receiving their first dose increased by 853,437 on Thursday compared to the previous day.



Meanwhile, 965,180 people received the second dose, taking the total number of fully vaccinated people to 30,363,525.



Overall, Indonesia is seeking to vaccinate 208,265,720 citizens to build herd immunity against the coronavirus under the nationwide vaccination drive rolled out on January 13, 2021.



Earlier, President Joko Widodo had said that the government is targeting to administer 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of August 2021. He had also urged regions across the country to intensify vaccination drives in order to achieve the target of administering 50 million doses in seven weeks.



Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Response Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the nation could achieve its vaccination target if data from central and regional governments is synchronized.



"Looking ahead, the government will keep encouraging each region to speed up vaccination programs in order to achieve the target soon by prioritizing people with (high) risk," he added.


Meanwhile, the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) reported that as of July 17, 2021, a total of 545 doctors have succumbed to the virus. The highest death count was recorded in East Java, reaching 110, followed by 83 in Jakarta, 81 in Central Java, and 76 in West Java.

“In July (2021), 114 doctors succumbed to COVID-19, or an increase of 100 percent compared to  June,” Dr. Mahesa Pranadipa Maikel, executive head of IDI's mitigation team, said. In addition, 445 nurses,  223 midwives, 42 pharmacists, and 25 lab technicians have died of COVID-19. Data from the National Nurse Association Indonesia (PPNI) has shown that as of July 18, 2021, about 7,392 nurses have been infected with COVID-19, with 309 suspected cases and 445 deaths recorded. (Antaranews)