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Government pins hopes on COVID-19 vaccines. But do Indonesians really want it?
Surveys have found that vaccine distrust and objection remain high in Indonesia, even as the government rolled out the second stage of its COVID-19 inoculation program on Feb. 17.
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A health worker shows a vial of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 15, 2021 at the Jurang Mangu community health center in South Tangerang, Banten. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
As Indonesia rolls out its COVID-19 inoculation program for second priority recipients, public doubt remains a challenge alongside the limited vaccine supply.
The latest survey by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies-Jakarta (CSIS) found that 42.5 percent of respondents in the nation’s capital said they either strongly or moderately distrusted the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. In the cultural hub of Yogyakarta, the figure was 29.5 percent.
In Jakarta, 40 percent of all respondents said they did not want to be vaccinated, while 27.5 percent of respondents in Yogyakarta said the same.
"These figures are not ideal, even more so at a time when the second stage of the vaccination program is being rolled out for essential workers and the vulnerable age group," CSIS researcher Noory Oktarhiza said when the survey findings were released on Thursday.
"There must be information dissemination and hard work to make people believe in COVID-19 vaccines," Noory added.
