A year has passed since the first case of Covid-19 confirmed in Indonesia. Various efforts and policies have been made by the government to suppress the number of its transmissions and minimize the effects. In 2021, a new effort to fight Covid-19 began. Starting on January 13, 2021, Indonesia has begun the Covid-19 vaccination program. Since the beginning of the program, many questions have arisen among the public, including citizens of Jakarta, such as, what is the process of vaccination in Jakarta? What is the purpose of the vaccination program? and so on. For this reason, on Friday, April 30, 2021, Jakarta Smart City, Jakarta Health Department, CoHive, and Good Doctor did a collaborative webinar titled "Online Ngobrol Jakarta: Vaccination Policy Boosts Immune in Jakarta Residents" to answer those questions.
The webinar featured a panel of experts like dr. Ngabila Salama, MKM, the Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Immunization Section of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Health Department; dr. Wawan Harimawan, the Medical Intelligence Project Manager of Good Doctor Technology Indonesia; and dr. Fala Adinda, a Member of the Covid-19 National Task Force, Sub-Division of Mitigation; with Indah Lestari from CoHive as moderator.
Vaccination as an Effort to Fight Covid-19
On this webinar, the speakers explained how we can fight Covid-19 together. "Apply 5M (health protocols) is the best step we can do right now. The next is, of course, vaccination, vaccination has been proven to reduce the severity of exposure to Covid-19," said dr. Ngabila.
"According to WHO, in controlling epidemics, we must achieve at least 60% - 90% of herd immunity. How can we get 60% of our citizens to have immunity? We can’t let the residents acquire natural immunity that can cost many lives, so we need to create artificial immunity, by giving them vaccinations," added dr. Ngabila.
With the start of the Covid-19 vaccination program in Indonesia, it is hoped that the community will create immunity to this virus so that the transmission rate and severity of Covid-19 will decrease.
[Reasons Why You Should Take Covid-19 Vaccinations]
"If we look at various PD3I (diseases that can be prevented by immunization), it has been proven that, with vaccination programs from the government, infectious diseases can have a 0% of the average transmission rate. For example, for Rubella disease, the incidence rate has reduced to only about 1%, and Diphtheria has 100% eradicated because of vaccination, so (vaccination) is very important," added dr. Ngabila explaining the importance of the vaccination program.
Dr. Ngabila also added that as a part of surveillance process, she continued to observe data and information on the Covid-19 case in DKI Jakarta to detect, prevent, and respond to provide policy recommendations that should be taken by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government in fighting the transmission of Covid-19.
Stay Alert and Protect Ourselves from Covid-19
Currently, the vaccination program in DKI Jakarta is being focused on the elderly and public service officials. dr. Wawan Harimawan once again reminds the public to maintain vigilance on the virus even after being vaccinated. Given that vaccination does not guarantee 100% protection to Covid-19, people still must do everything in their power to prevent transmission of the virus, including wearing a mask and reducing mobility.
“As citizens we need to know what we can do to prevent the Covid-19 transmission, for example by doing our best in doing the 5M health protocols as our personal responsibilities,” said dr. Wawan
“Likewise with vaccines, the government is currently working on so that every citizen who is able to be vaccinated can get the vaccine. This is important because the goal of vaccination is not only to protect ourselves, but also to protect people who are vulnerable and people who cannot be vaccinated. Right now we are fighting against the virus, and we need weapons that meet the predetermined criteria," added dr. Wawan.
Supporting the Vaccination Program
Meanwhile, dr. Fala also gave a message for Indonesian citizens to participate and support the vaccination program as an effort to fight the Covid-19 epidemics.
“On behalf of the Covid-19 National Task Force Team, we want to remind the citizens, if you’re given the chance to get vaccinated, please take that opportunity. Also, please share accurate information with our friends, family, neighbors, and the community," said dr. Fala
From the various information conveyed by the speakers, it can be concluded that the vaccination program is now a big part of an effort to stop this pandemic. For that, let’s give our support and participate in the Covid-19 vaccination program. Get the latest and most accurate information about DKI Jakarta vaccination through the Jakarta Smart City social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the JAKI application.
About Ngobrol Jakarta
Ngobrol Jakarta is a monthly discussion activity related to various issues in DKI Jakarta. This discussion was carried out at JSCHive by CoHive in collaboration with Jakarta Smart City (JSC). During the pandemic, these activities continue online. Ngobrol Jakarta is an interesting discussion activity because it always involves various sources from Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPD), startups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to other community groups. Ngobrol Jakarta is an informative discussion space to discuss various problems in the city of Jakarta and try to find solutions.
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