Vaccine stocks for PON Papua are safe

Acting Head (Plt) Head of the Papua Province Sports and Youth Office Alexander Kapisa said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin had guaranteed that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine was safe ahead of the National Sports Week (PON) held on October 2-15.

Alex said this was conveyed by Minister of Health Budi during a visit to Jayapura last week.

"Yesterday we received a visit from the Minister of Health and it has also been reported that he will support vaccinations around the venue," said Alex when contacted from Jakarta, Monday.

"The Minister of Health also said that the stock of vaccines was safe because that was the direction of the president as well," he continued.

In a limited meeting to prepare for the implementation of PON XX and Peparnas XVI at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, last March, President Joko Widodo said that COVID-19 vaccination for the Papuan people is important as the government's effort to maintain the safety and security of athletes during the event.

Alex added that he had coordinated with the Papua Provincial Health Office which was also ready to carry out mass vaccinations, especially for people around the PON match venue.

He hopes that the COVID-19 vaccination for athletes, officials, support equipment, and the community around the venue can be completed in September.

"If the target is clear it must be completed before PON. It must be finished in September, ”said Alex.

The rate of COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia is slowing down due to limited supply of vaccines from producing countries. For Papua itself, the vaccine stock is prioritized for the elderly first.

The limited supply of vaccines was also influenced by the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases that occurred in several producing countries in Europe and Asia, so they implemented a policy of not releasing vaccines produced in their countries.

However, in anticipation of an embargo or shipping ban from producing countries, the government plans to increase the supply of vaccines by ordering another 90 to 100 million Sinovac vaccines.

The Indonesian government is committed to completing the vaccination program by 2021.

SOURCE: https://www.republika.co.id/berita/qrsk6q480/stok-vaksin-buat-pon-papua-aman