PRESS RELEASE

Vaccines [are said to] Have Been Provided to Regions, But Where Have They Gone?

On August 24 2021, the Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Widyawati, stated that each district/city should still have approximately 25 million vaccine doses. This estimation is based on data indicating that 116.4 million vaccines have already been distributed to regions as of August 24, 2021. Furthermore, the government has 5.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses on hand, which will be distributed to the regions soon.

On the ground, however, reality has a significantly different look. Vaccination quotas continue to be a source of concern for communities. In case vaccines are available, people struggle to get one. As a result, the vaccination location was overcrowded, and the online registration page frequently failed when online registration opened. The entire vaccination system is a mess.

Source: CNN Indonesia (Palembang, August 25, 2021)

Citizens voices:

“Registration for the vaccine program is problematic. The health centre where I wanted to get a vaccine announced that registration for the first vaccine dose could be done online using the link provided. The portal would open at 06.00 WIB and would close when the daily limit of 98 people was reached. I tried to open the link at 05.43, and it reads, SORRY YOU CANNOT CONTINUE REGISTRATION BECAUSE THE VACCINE QUOTA HAS BEEN REACHED! At first, I assumed it was because I tried to access the link before it was scheduled to open. Then I tried it again at 06.00 and 06.02, but the same thing happened. ” (North Sumatra, August 24, 2021)

Many vaccines have run out of stock in the area where I live, and many people have to wait a long time to get the vaccine because vaccines aren’t widely available So, by accident, I got information about a vaccination schedule at the local health centre near my house, and it required me to enclose a family card, an ID card, and a domicile letter. Because I am not an ID card holder here, I took care of the domicile letter, but it turned out that acquiring a domicile letter is a long and complex process. (South Kalimantan, August 27, 2021)

Mass vaccinations at the city square, with crowds and ignorance of the social distancing protocols [due to fights over limited vaccines] (East Java, August 28, 2021)

To avoid fraud, LaporCovid-19 urges the central government to be strict in overseeing the distribution of vaccines in the regions. Meanwhile, the local government must improve the vaccine registration system and the implementation of vaccination programmes.

Please report any issues you have with vaccination supplies running out of stock in your area to the LaporCovid-19 chatbot on the Vaccination Service Complaint.