Thus, we must also prepare when it is time for them to get vaccinated.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is planning to cooperate with schools to provide Sinovac COVID-19 shots to children aged 6 to 11 years, Spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations at the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi has informed.

"We are planning to use the ‘children immunization month’ to carry out the vaccination," she stated at the ‘Children Vaccination is Love for Families’ talk show, which was accessed here on Monday.

According to discussions with experts, such as the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), children are more courageous in getting vaccinated if they see their friends are fine after taking a shot, she noted.

Hence, COVID-19 vaccinations for children are expected to be more efficient if carried out in schools, she said.

“For children with disabilities, we will cooperate with special schools as well as the community,” the spokesperson informed.

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Meanwhile, for vaccinating children who do not attend school, for instance, street children, the government will cooperate with the Social Affairs Office, Tarmizi said.

Furthermore, the vaccination will use a single data vaccination system, she added.

Hence, the government has asked parents to prepare their children’s identification number (NIK) before the vaccinations begin, she informed.

“For all parents, please check your children’s NIK. Usually, the number can be found on the Family Card (KK) and has been recorded by their schools," Tarmizi said.

If the parents do not have their children’s identification number, they can report it to their sub-district or village office, she added.

According to the spokesperson, the government is targeting to vaccinate around 26 million children aged 6-11 years. Thus, it will require at least 50 million vaccine doses as they will also need to be vaccinated twice, she said.

Currently, the government is still formulating the technical details for the vaccinations, she added.

Furthermore, the government is concerned that children usually do not really understand or mind the side effects of any medication, Tarmizi said.

Hence, the government is trying to establish the right screening method so that children with congenital diseases -- such as heart disease and leukemia – are not vaccinated without the approval of the doctor treating them, she informed.

“Children in this condition must also be protected as they are at risk to have more severe symptoms if they are infected by the coronavirus than healthy children. Thus, we must also prepare when it is time for them to get vaccinated,” she added.

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Translator: Sanya Susanti, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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