The vaccination for elderly will be held throughout this month.

Currently, there are 16,000 elderly who live in 9 regencies in the province. The event will be the door to organize further vaccination events in villages.

Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Zainal Arifinalam said the vaccination drive has been part of the administration action plan to slow down COVID-19 contraction in the region. Zainal, a COVID-19 survivor himself, expected people to be cooperative as it was mandatory healing effort to decrease the number of contraction and death toll in the province.

Banda Aceh’s health agency epidemiologist dr. Media Yulizar, who also on the site, said the decision to prioritize elderly has been in line with the national policy. She went on that according to the agency’s record, people over 50 years old have become the largest contributor, around 80 percent, to the city’s death toll.

To date, only 5 percent of elderly in Banda Aceh who have been vaccinated.

‘We expect to boost the number of vaccinated elderlies through these events,” he said as quoted in a press release received by The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Muhar, one of the participant elderlies, acknowledged he had to consult first with a physician as he had high blood pressure and kidney problem.

“Praise God that I am declared to be fit for the vaccination by my physician despite the health problems. Participating on this event is a form of my personal responsibility to keep a healthy environment for me and others,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Zainal said the local administration has also planned to expand the vaccination drive to the villages. He went on that the vaccination would be organized in compliance with the health protocols.

Last week, the Aceh Province administration had ordered all civil servants and contract-based workers in the gubernatorial office to take the vaccination unless he or she is not fit for vaccination due to health condition.

Aceh Province spokesman Muhammad Iswanto said sanctions are provided for those civil servants who are failing to take the vaccination. “Immediate contract cancelation is also provided for contract-based workers who prefer not to take the vaccination,” Iswanto said as quoted by www.detik.com.

He also asked all superior officials to monitor the vaccination in his or her division. The same gesture is also expected from contract-based workers distributor companies. Iswanto said the administration would terminate contract for the companies that did not pay serious attention to the administration’s expectation.

As many as 3,200 civil servants had taken the jabs during five days of the program.

Commenting on this, Iswanto praised the large number of civil servants and contract-based workers who have taken the jabs, saying it would boost the people’s immunity level. The rising herd immunity, together with health protocol discipline, are expected to put COVID-19 at bay.

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