VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. The government is being vigilant about a likely dearth of vaccine stocks amid COVID-19 cases spiraling in some nations that have compelled them to enforce a vaccine embargo, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated.

"Amid a spike in the number of (COVID-19) cases in some countries, including India, the vaccine embargo has been put in place. This may hinder vaccine supply in the next few months, especially those from countries imposing the embargo," Sadikin notified the press after a limited meeting with President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Office here on Friday.

As many as 16 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine arrived on Thursday (March 25), the sixth batch of vaccine delivery to the country, after the first consignment of 1.2 million doses was delivered on December 6; 1.8 million doses on December 31, 2020; 15 million doses on January 12; 10 million doses on February 2; and 10 million doses on March 2.

Indonesia has received 54 million doses of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine in total.

India recorded 47,262 new cases and 275 deaths on Wednesday (March 24), allegedly due to double mutation of the coronavirus.

"Hence, we have to be careful in regulating the rate of vaccine shots to avoid any vaccine shortage," he remarked.

As of Friday, over 10 million people had received the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia.

"Alhamdulillah (thank God), today, over 10 million people (would be vaccinated), with the daily rate of 500 thousand inoculations. Hence, by March and April, the inoculation rate will run in accordance with the vaccine stocks at 15 million doses per month," he remarked.

According to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of Thursday (March 25), a total of 6,389,837 people had received the first dose of the vaccine, and 2,941,016 of them have already been administered the second dose.

"Some European countries have recorded an increasing trend in the number of new cases. We monitor the emergence of a new strain in Indonesia since January," he remarked.

The minister has urged the public to continue to abide by the health protocols despite the vaccination.

"This is because we can still get infected, albeit not severe and may not require hospitalization. Vaccination will not free us from (COVID-19) transmission. However, with a better immune system, we can recover soon," he stated.

Sadikin also urged senior citizens to partake in the vaccination program.

"Please help our parents, grandparents, and all of them above 60 years old to get vaccinated. All regional leaders and medical workers should focus on vaccination for the elderly to reduce the death rate," Sadikin remarked. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. The general, protracted slowdown in economic activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic has mired poverty reduction and increased inequality, according to World Bank Vice President for East Asia and Pacific Victoria Kwakwa.

"When countries begin to recover in 2021, they must take immediate action to protect vulnerable populations and ensure an inclusive, environment-friendly, and resilient recovery," Kwakwa noted here on Friday.

Poverty rate in the East Asia and Pacific region in 2020 had stopped declining, with an estimated 32 million people driven into poverty due to the pandemic, with US$5.5 per-day poverty line.

The World Bank noted that the pandemic and restrictions on mobility had increased inequality, including in terms of access to various social services and digital technology.

This inequality is apparent in some countries for children in the poorest two-fifths of households that have a 20 percent less chance of being involved in learning activities than kids in the richest fifth of households.

Moreover, women experience domestic violence more severely than before, with 35 percent of the respondents in Laos and 83 percent of the respondents in Indonesia hinting at a spike in the level of violence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, several nations in the East Asia and Pacific whose assistance is still smaller than the loss of the people's income, the stimulus has failed to wholly address the lack of demand.

"We all require international cooperation now more than ever before to control the disease, support the economy, and boost the recovery process," World Bank Chief Economist for East Asia and Pacific Aaditya Mattoo emphasized. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo has appealed to district heads throughout Indonesia to stay vigilant in spite of a downward trend in the national COVID-19 caseload.

"Do not become absent-minded in handling the COVID-19 pandemic," Widodo remarked during a video conferencing at the State Palace here on Friday to open the national congress of the All-Indonesia District Government Association (APKASI) 2021.

"When I checked the daily caseload at the district, municipal, and provincial levels, the number of new cases had declined, and the number of recoveries increased. However, we must go ahead with testing, tracing, and treatment, particularly in the red and orange zones, so they will turn into green zones," he remarked.

Handling the COVID-19 pandemic does not merely concern handling the health problems but also driving economic growth at the district, municipal, provincial, and national levels, the head of state noted.

"Ït is not easy. When one sector is eased, we should look at whether the COVID-19 caseload goes up. When it increases, the district heads must put a stop to it. If we are to open limited face-to-face learning, we should check to ensure whether the daily cases are increasing. When the daily cases rise, then an appropriate policy should be put in place. The same holds true with the market. If the COVID-19 cases increase twice, then the market must be closed. Otherwise, the cases will continue to increase," he stressed.

The head of state highlighted that efforts of the central and regional governments to handle the COVID-19 pandemic were far from over in the wake of the ongoing risk of COVID-19 transmission, while economic activities should be concurrently encouraged.

""I am always briefed about the figures every morning. In Europe and India, the COVID-19 caseload jumped three to four folds after declining. Alhamdulillah (Thank God), our caseload, which once touched 13 thousand, 14 thousand, and also 15 thousand, have now declined to five to six thousand. We will continue to keep it down," he affirmed.

According to the COVID-19 Task Force, as of March 26, 2021, Indonesia had reported 6,107 new cases, 125,279 active cases or patients under treatment, 1,317,199 recoveries, and 40,081 deaths. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. The government has decided to do away with the long holidays for the 2021 Eid homecoming trip to ensure the optimal implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program.

"In accordance with the directive of the president and the decision taken at the coordination meeting of the relevant ministers on March 23, 2021, at the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Ministry, as well as the results of consultations with the president, it has been determined that this year's homecoming will be purged," Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy stated at a ministerial-level meeting on the Eid Al-Fitr holidays monitored online here on Friday.

The decision applies from May 6 to May 17, 2021, for all people, including the state civil apparatus (ASN), army, police, private employees, and independent workers.

By doing away with these holidays, Effendy is upbeat about the national vaccination program running as expected.

The minister expounded that the decision was taken by taking into account the possible increase in the cases of infection and deaths of people and health workers due to COVID-19 that could occur due to the high mobility of the community during the holiday.

"Akin to Christmas and New Year, the BOR (bed occupancy rate) at hospitals is quite high, so several preventive measures are deemed necessary," he emphasized.

The decision also aligns with the government's policy to apply large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and micro-scale restrictions on public activities (PPKM) in addition to bolstering health protocols and vaccination.

"There is still a day of joint leave for Eid al-Fitr, though there is no homecoming activity," Effendy noted.

Meanwhile, attendees at the ministerial-level coordinating meeting comprised several representatives from related ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform, Labor Ministry, Religion Ministry, Health Ministry, Social Affairs Ministry, Transportation Ministry, Army, Police, and National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). (Antaranews)