Indonesian motorcycle taxi drivers may be among the first groups from the general public to receive vaccine shots against COVID-19, the Health Ministry said today.
With an ever-evolving mass vaccination schedule, the ministry said today that members of the general public, for whom interaction with other people is a necessity, may start getting the vaccine in March.
They will be counted among the 17 million people – which also include members of the police and military – the government is aiming to vaccinate in the second phase of its mass vaccination program.
The ministry today confirmed that motorcycle taxi drivers for rideshare apps, who are colloquially known as ojek online or ojol for short, are being considered for inclusion in the group.
"It's still being finalized ... they may be in March's vaccination group," the Health Ministry's COVID-19 vaccination spokeswoman Siti Nadia said.
The work of motorcycle taxi drivers is considered vital in fulfilling the everyday needs of Indonesians who stay at home during the pandemic, mainly for delivering food and groceries. Their high mobility also puts them at risk of getting infected and spreading the virus.
Others who are being considered for inclusion in the group include other public transportation operators and sellers at traditional markets.
Those who are receiving their jabs in the next few months will likely receive the CoronaVac vaccine, from Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac, which is the only vaccine currently available in Indonesia.
Indonesia began its COVID-19 mass vaccination program in mid-January, with health workers the first in line for jabs. As of Feb. 7, the country has administered the first dose of the CoronaVac vaccine to 784,318 people, 139,131 of whom have received their second of the required two doses of the vaccine.
Indonesia aims to vaccinate some 180 million people to reach herd immunity against COVID-19 by early 2022, which, at the current vaccination rate, seems like a mammoth task.