Amid improved COVID-19 case numbers, a waning appetite for booster shots and a lull in government vaccine imports, regions across the country have run short on vaccines.
mid improved COVID-19 case numbers, a waning appetite for booster shots and a lull in government vaccine imports in anticipation of domestic production, regions across the country have run short on vaccines.
But with sporadic case spikes still occurring and a new, highly contagious variant of the coronavirus spreading from neighboring Singapore, health authorities nationwide are raising the alarm over their thinning – or in some cases exhausted – reserves.
In Jakarta, health agencies have said they are beginning to run out of COVID-19 vaccines, attributing the scarcity to a lack of shipments from the Health Ministry, and without doses, numerous vaccination spots have closed up shop.
“The stock of Sinovac vaccines is limited, while those of the Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer are completely depleted,” said Yudi Dimyati, head of the South Jakarta Health Agency, on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.
Yudi said his agency had not received a new vaccine shipment since August.
Meanwhile, Rimasari, the head of the Central Jakarta Health Agency, reported similar shortages among the main brands on Thursday, with the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccines being the only doses still available.
Home to some 10 million people and accommodating just as many daytime commuters from its satellite cities, Jakarta had some 28,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine left as of Thursday, according to Health Ministry records. The city has administered an average of 1,530 doses each week. If that rate stays constant, the current stockpile will last another 18 days.
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