The booster vaccination will be distributed to healthcare workers starting from this AugustBanda Aceh (ANTARA) - The Banda Aceh government has received 4,760 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine and 7,500 doses of Sinovac's vaccine from the Aceh COVID-19 task force, a health official informed on Saturday.
"The Moderna vaccine is specifically meant for healthcare workers as a booster or third dose of vaccination," head of the Banda Aceh Health Service, Lukman, said.
Assistant health workers and those working in healthcare facilities will be provided the Moderna vaccine, he informed.
The minimum interval required between the second COVID-19 dose and the booster shot is three months, he said.
Health workers are at the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight as they are dealing with patients and therefore, they need to have strong immunity, especially in view of the spike in cases caused by the new Delta variant in Indonesia, Lukman observed.
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"The booster vaccination will be distributed to healthcare workers starting from this August," he informed.
Each COVID-19 referral hospital and Puskesmas (community health center) in Banda Aceh will need to prepare a cold chain to store booster vaccines before administering them to health workers, he said.
According to Lukman, the Sinovac vaccine will be distributed to vulnerable groups, children in the 12-17 age group, the elderly, pregnant women, and the public to expedite the achievement of the vaccination target in Banda Aceh.
"The vaccination will take place in 30 health facilities, including community health centers and hospitals," he added.
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Indonesia has received more than eight million doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the United States through the COVAX facility.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has assured that fully vaccinated health workers in the country will be offered a third COVID-19 vaccine, or booster, to strengthen their immune response.
So far, almost 50 million Indonesians have received the first COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 22 million people have been fully vaccinated. The government is targeting to vaccinate 208 million people overall to build herd immunity against the coronavirus.
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Translator: Rahmat F, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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