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Govt urges people to get booster shots
The government urges the public to remain cautious against the coronavirus and to get booster shots amid the recent lifting of the COVID-19 emergency status in Indonesia, saying that the virus is still around and can still infect people.
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Boosting boosters: Medical workers administer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots during a mass vaccination drive at the Jakarta International Expo center in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Jan. 25, 2022. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
T
he government urges the public to remain cautious against coronavirus and to get booster doses amid the recent lifting of COVID-19 emergency status in Indonesia, saying that the virus is still around and can still infect people.
"The lifting of the emergency status does not mean that the disease has been completely eradicated in the country, it's just that the risk of contracting the virus has gone down," national COVID-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said in a press briefing on Thursday.
Wiku said the emergency status "could return at any moment" depending on the health, social and environmental situation at the national and global level.
He called on the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible and get booster doses to reach maximum protection against the virus and to maintain herd immunity in the country.
As per Thursday, some 74 percent of Indonesia's 234,6 million targeted population have received two primary doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but only 38 percent and 1.84 percent have gotten their first and second booster doses respectively.
Despite this, based on the latest serosurvey conducted by the Health Ministry in January, roughly 99 percent of Indonesians have developed antibodies against COVID-19 through a combination of past infection and vaccination.
Wiku also urged the public to practice a healthy lifestyle and maintain personal hygiene such as frequently washing hands, wearing masks if experiencing COVID-19 like symptoms such as stuffy nose, coughing and sneezing, and visiting healthcare facilities as soon as possible when they are ill.
