Health Protocol Discipline and Vaccination Key to Success in Suppressing Covid-19 Transmission
By: Ferdiansyah )*
The community needs to be disciplined in health protocols (Prokes), both those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. With this observance, the transmission of Covid-19 in the community is expected to be suppressed immediately.
The number of positive confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Indonesia continues to experience a significant increase. Covid-19 has made a number of people have to lose relatives, relatives, family and loved ones.
One of those who experienced the loss of a family was Amy Gayatri Odang who had to lose her brother and sister-in-law who died due to Covid-19. He said that in April 2020. At that time he and his family who had just returned from abroad, felt unwell, later it was discovered that they were infected with Covid-19.
For this incident, he advised the public to comply with health protocols, as well as other matters regulated by the government. Amy admitted that she had been exposed to Covid-19 at the age of 59. She also said that being exposed to Covid-19 was a step towards death.
On a different occasion, Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin asked the community to be more disciplined in undergoing health protocols (prokes). This was conveyed, after in the last few days positive cases of Covid-19 in Indonesia experienced a significant increase. Ma’ruf believes, with various government efforts and also followed by disciplined health protocols, positive cases of Covid-19 can be controlled as in previous months. Currently, the government continues to increase testing for the community, increase isolation places, and tighten community activities through the implementation of micro community activity restrictions (PPKM) in areas starting at the RW level, to vaccination.
In addition to strictly implementing PPKM and accelerating the vaccination process, the Vice President assessed that community support is also needed to continue implementing health protocols. The Vice President believes, with various government efforts and also followed by prokes discipline, positive cases of Covid-19 can be controlled as in previous months. Therefore, Ma’ruf also asked the public to remain optimistic that the spread of Covid-19 cases would be suppressed.
Previously, Ma’rud Amin said that the government had tightened community activities including banning the Eid homecoming, but it could not be implemented 100%. This, according to him, is one of the reasons for the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Therefore, Ma’ruf firmly said that at this time the government must again strictly limit community activities, increase testing, and accelerate vaccination to achieve communal immunity.
It should also be noted that Indonesia ranks 13th in the world in vaccination services. For Acceleration, vaccination stages and flows are summarized. Post-vaccine observation is sufficient for 30 minutes. Not only once did Indonesian President Joko Widodo say that vaccines are a game changer in the midst of the struggle to control Covid-19. All health protocols (prokes), social restriction strategies and quarantine policies will never be enough if there is no herd immunity.
The Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the vaccination made the formation of herd immunity quickly with the lowest risk. Herd Immunity can form naturally, but it will take a long time after so many people are infected, in a wide distribution, which will cause heavy casualties.
Indonesia continues to boost the implementation of vaccinations, either through regular vaccination programs organized by the government or mutual cooperation vaccinations involving business actors. It is recorded that three types of vaccines have entered Indonesia, namely Sinovac from China, AstraZeneca from the UK (manufactured in Korea) and Sinopharm made in China.
In general, vaccination countries in Asean countries, outside of Indonesia, have not yet reached 10 percent of the target. It had spiked in April-May, but active cases of Covid-19 in neighboring countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, have started to decline. In fact, Malaysia feels the need to take a national regional quarantine policy from June 1 to 14, 2021.
The acceleration of the Covid-19 vaccine is also considered to be able to stimulate the mobility of the community safely. The mobility of society will certainly greatly affect financial services. Support for vaccination also came from the Chairman of the OJK Board of Commissioners, Wimboh Santoso, encouraging the acceleration of the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination in Indonesia to revive community mobility.
So that apart from being an indicator of herd immunity, vaccination is also a new hope to increase the mobility of people globally. Prokes and vaccinations must go hand in hand, both are equally important to be promoted in order to end the Covid-19 pandemic.
)* The author is an Observer of Social Issues
