"(The Health) Minister has asked ITAGI to conduct research on the best vaccine (for booster)," acting director-general of disease prevention and control of the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said here on Friday.
Currently, the Indonesian government is drafting a procedure for administering COVID-19 booster vaccines to vulnerable groups other than health workers, such as people with disabilities and older adults, he informed.
In addition, COVID-19 booster vaccines will also be prioritized to be administered to Contribution Assistance Recipients (PBI), he said.
Booster vaccines are expected to be administered starting from January 2022, Rondonuwu disclosed.
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The research that should be conducted is regarding the administration: whether the booster vaccine needs to be given in a homologous or heterologous manner, he explained.
"There must be a scientific basis; we are still working hard for it. Hopefully, the research will be completed in December, so we would have a basis to decide," he said.
A third dose or booster vaccine is being considered based on research that has estimated that the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines decreases after six months of injection, he added.
In a bid to boost immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, and President Joko Widodo was the first vaccine recipient under the program.
According to the Health Ministry's data, as of October 15, 2021, as many as 105,464,686 citizens have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 61,397,055 have been fully vaccinated against the virus.
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Translator: Devi Nindy, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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