Praya, NTB (ANTARA) - The Regional Police in Central Lombok district, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) have intensified COVID-19 vaccinations for the community to support the 2022 MotoGP championship at Mandalika Circuit from March 18–20, 2022.
"This vaccination event aims to strengthen the community's immunity to curb the spread of COVID-19, especially the Omicron variant," head of the regional police, Adjunct Senior Commissioner (AKBP) Hery Indra Cahyono, said on Monday.
The police force has continued to intensify immunization with the help of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and health workers by directly approaching villages to administer vaccinations, he informed.
"We aim to reach 100 percent vaccination coverage for the first dose in this region," he said.
As directed by the National Police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, vaccinations are being prioritized for the elderly who are in the risk group for Omicron, Cahyono added. While the symptoms of the new variant are not as severe as the Delta variant, it is highly transmissible, he noted.
The Central Lombok Police chief said the police force is also providing support to health workers for expediting vaccinations, both for the first, second, and the boost vaccinations.
"We hope this pandemic will end soon. Let us work together to succeed the 2022 MotoGP event in Mandalika for the revival of our tourism and the community's economy," he said.
Earlier, the Central Lombok government had noted that the number of vaccinations administered in the region has exceeded the national threshold set by the central government.
"Our vaccination coverage has exceeded the national standards," head of Central Lombok district, Lalu Pathul Bahri, informed.
The local government is targeting 100-percent vaccination coverage for the first dose before the 2022 MotoGP series starts in Mandalika since one of the requirements for conducting the event is 90-percent vaccination coverage, he said.
"The number of residents who have been vaccinated with the first dose is 91.4 percent and the second dose has reached 71 percent. As for the third dose or booster vaccine (it is) only 1.2 percent," he added.
