Feature: Chinese vaccine helps Indonesian kids fight COVID-19

JAKARTA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In a primary school in the eastern part of Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Tuesday morning, 6-year-old Dedi Permadi got his first COVID-19 jab.

Despite being afraid of needles, Permadi knew that the vaccination would help him to fight COVID-19. The school was decorated with stickers of cartoon superheroes to encourage kids to get injected. Students and parents listened to teachers explain the importance of vaccination.

"Many children are afraid of getting injections because they are scared of the pain," Nurliza Yanti, one of the school teachers, told Xinhua. "Some of them were crying afterward, so, we asked their parents to comfort them."

Indonesia, home to 270 million people, has been vaccinating children aged 6 to 11 since last Tuesday, planning to vaccinate 27 million with Sinovac, the only vaccine currently used for kids in the archipelago, according to the country's drug and food agency.

By Monday, at least 540,000 children in the age group had been vaccinated, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday.

He called on the public to immediately get their vaccinations to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The country's second wave triggered by the more Delta variant peaked at over 50,000 cases in July. Daily cases have come down significantly since then, but the country is still facing the threat of other variants.

Indonesia started its mass COVID-19 vaccinations in January when authorities approved the Sinovac vaccine. By Monday, Indonesia had registered 4.3 million cases with more than 144,000 deaths since March last year.

Authorities are accelerating vaccination programs. To date, more than 152 million people have received their first doses of vaccines, while over 107 million have had second doses.

After his jab, Permadi received a bravery medal and gift packs containing masks, modeling clay and chocolates as reward for his bravery.

"Now, I can fight COVID-19!" he said.