At least 201.24 million Indonesian citizens have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry’s data.

Data received by ANTARA from the ministry here on Wednesday showed that the number of first dose recipients swelled by 55,196 on Wednesday, taking the total number of recipients to 201,242,691.

Meanwhile, the number of fully vaccinated people, or those who have received two shots under the nationwide vaccination program, grew by 78,485 to reach 168,590,045.

The ministry's data also showed that the number of citizens who have received the third or booster vaccine dose rose by 206,497 to touch 49,342,174 as of Wednesday.

As part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting as many as 208,265,720 citizens across the country.

Based on the ministry's data, 96.63 percent of the targeted recipients nationally have received the first vaccine dose, 80.94 percent have received the second dose, and 23.69 percent have received the third dose so far.

Earlier, the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) asked the government and the community to step up booster vaccinations as an anticipatory measure against the increase in COVID-19 cases due to the emergence of the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.

"We encourage the government and the community to rev up the booster dose COVID-19 vaccinations again," head of the infectious disease assessment division of IDI, Dr. Agus Dwi Susanto, Sp.P(K), said.

Susanto, who also serves as chairman of the Indonesian Society of Respirology (PDPI), highlighted that the community must also be reminded to implement the COVID-19 health protocols, such as wearing masks, maintaining a safe distance, washing hands, and avoiding crowds.

"The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants have become a reminder of the need to strengthen the health protocols," he said.  (Antaranews)