Bali's province administration intends to complete its
Covid-19 vaccine program by September 2021.
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster stated that, as the
province with the highest Covid-19 vaccination rate in Indonesia, Bali expects
to complete its vaccination program with all citizens by the end of September
2021. “We are grateful to the central government for its support, which has resulted
in the distribution of 4.6 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine so far, out of
a total of 6 million doses required to vaccinate all Bali inhabitants and
attain herd immunity.” On Friday (30/7), Koster stated.
According to Koster, the Bali provincial government
has successfully distributed the first dose of the vaccine to approximately
3,046,886 residents, exceeding the government's target of distributing the
vaccine to at least 3 million people (70 percent) in Bali in order to achieve
herd immunity as instructed by WHO. “We have reached our goal of distributing
the vaccination to almost 3 million individuals on the island, and 807,838
people have already received their second dose.” Koster continued. However,
Koster admitted that the distribution of the second dose of the Covid-19
vaccine in Bali is still considered low in comparison to the first, so he
directed his officials to increase distribution while also proposing to the
central government that another 1.4 million doses of the vaccine be delivered
in the near future.
Meanwhile, Koster lifted the self-isolation policy for
asymptomatic Covid-19 patients at home, as previously authorised by the central
government through the Maritime and Investment Coordinator Minister, Luhut
Binsar Pandjaitan. Koster invites the community to help support the vaccination
initiative by attending a nearby vaccination location on a voluntary basis to
help lower the incidence of Covid-19 infections on the island. “Our findings
suggest that 60 percent of current Covid-19 patients have not been vaccinated,
indicating that the vaccination could lower transmissions as well as the
likelihood of developing severe symptoms if infected.” Koster concluded.