Everyone must get the vaccine. We are all working hard. It is not possible for the government to do it alone so we need collaboration with all elements of society. We must accomplish the national vaccination movement as it is not only a government pr
Jakarta (ANTARA) - It is acceptable to use a different vaccine for the third or booster COVID-19 shot for health workers from the one used in the first two doses, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

"The vaccine types can be mixed," Sadikin said while reviewing a vaccination program organized by Nusantara Youth Alumni Association (IKASTARA) at Ancol Beach City (ABC) Mall, Carnaval Beach, Ancol Dreamland, Pademangan sub-district, North Jakarta on Saturday.



He said the government has been working hard to achieve the target of 70 million vaccinations per month in August this year.



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Meanwhile, the number of vaccine doses that Indonesia procured in the seven months from January to July is pegged at just 90 million, he noted. The Indonesian government currently has around 140 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in stock, he informed.



"Everyone must get the vaccine. We are all working hard. It is not possible for the government to do it alone so we need collaboration with all elements of society. We must accomplish the national vaccination movement as it is not only a government program," the minister stressed.



He said he believes that if everyone comes together and cooperates, the country can overcome the pandemic, adding that it would be the best way to welcome Independence Day on August 17.



"The booster vaccine is still prioritized for our healthcare workers because only 140 million doses that we have received so far," Sadikin explained.



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Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine will be offered as a booster to health workers, he earlier informed.



A booster vaccine is needed to boost the immune response to the current variant of COVID-19, especially among health workers, officials have said. Data shows that between March 2020 and July 2021, as many as 1,141 health workers have succumbed to the virus.



According to Bio Farma's research, a vaccine booster needs to ideally be injected six months after the second vaccine dose.



Indonesia has so far received a total of 8,000,160 doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the United States through the COVAX Facility.



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Translator: Abdu F, Kenzu T
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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