Manokwari, Jubi – As of Oct. 31, 2021, the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination has reached as many as 183,889 people in West Papua Province, or 23.1 percent of the total target of achieving 70 percent of the province’s population.
Head of the West Papua Health Agency Otto Parorongan said that the vaccination program was still taking place in each district in collaboration with the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police. Parorongan said that people’s awareness to get vaccinated in the province is pretty good. “They are willing to visit the vaccination center,” he said on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021.
“Together with the TNI and police, we are collaborating to provide COVID-19 vaccination services to the community while promoting the benefits of vaccines, such as lower COVID-19 cases in this province,” said Parorongan.
According to him, the epidemiological situation in West Papua, with the highest trend of cases between June and July, began to decline after the West Papua COVID-19 vaccination reached 20 percent.
“This means that West Papua’s immunity began to form after the COVID-19 vaccination program was intensively carried out, as well as performing stricter health protocols at every point of entry of the province,” Parorongan said.
He said that of the 13 regencies and cities in this province, the highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage was in Manokwari Regency, with 53 percent of the first injection had been given and 39.4 percent of the second dose. Meanwhile, the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the province was in the Arfak Mountains Regency with second dose coverage of only 109 people, or 0.4 percent of the 29,822 total targets.
“The government is still trying to approach the community through community leaders and increasing campaign and promotion in the Arfak Mountains using local wisdom,” said Parorongan.
Furthermore, West Papua COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson Arnold Tiniap said that there were currently 16 active cases of COVID-19 in West Papua. “Today in West Papua there are six more people who recovered from COVID-19 from Kaimana Regency. Therefore, there are still 16 COVID-19 cases left in the province,” said Tiniap. (*)
Reporter: Hans Kapisa
Editor: Edho Sinaga
