Social media influencers are among the first in line to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia. The decision, which clumps the group with 1.5 million health workers, was a deliberate government communications strategy, senior health official Siti Nadia Tarmizi told Reuters.
On Wednesday, social influencer Raffi Ahmad sat alongside President Joko Widodo to receive his shot of CoronaVac, created by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine was deemed halal by Indonesia’s top Islamic council. “Thank God I was among the first to be vaccinated today, with Jokowi [a nickname for Widodo]. Thank you for your trust. To my beloved Indonesia, let’s get vaccinated. No need to be afraid,” Raffi wrote in an Instagram post.