If we decided to vaccinate children and the elderly at the same time, the vaccinators' concentration will be split. Let us focus on the elderly first, then continue with vaccinating childrenJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is still prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for the elderly and adults over children, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.
"The elderly tend to have more risk with COVID-19 than children. We are prioritizing vaccinating the elderly among whom now the coverage is still around 40 percent. Once it is finished then we will start to vaccinate other groups with a lower risk of fatality," the minister informed while delivering a statement at the Jakarta Presidential Office on Monday.
He made the statement after attending a limited meeting led by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on the evaluation of Community Mobility Restrictions (PPKM).
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"Child vaccinations will be given based on risk. That is why we vaccinated the health workers first because they get to meet suspected patients every day," Sadikin explained.
The elderly tend to be at greater risk of death if they contract COVID-19, he noted. This age group has the highest fatality rate of 12 percent, thus, it is important to vaccinate the elderly, he said. In comparison, the fatality rate among children is below 1 percent, he informed.
However, regarding face-to-face learning in school, Minister Sadikin said that the government still needs to consider the plan in order to protect children.
Moreover, elderly vaccinations must be finished first to help the vaccinators focus on their job, he added.
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"If we decided to vaccinate children and the elderly at the same time, the vaccinators' concentration will be split. Let us focus on the elderly first, then continue with vaccinating children," he remarked.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged 6-11 would target 26.4 million children. The vaccination will be given in two doses, he said.
According to Health Ministry data, currently, 130,616,514 first doses and 84,552,446 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the country.
As many as 1,191,298 third doses have been provided to health workers, the ministry said. Meanwhile, just 9,495,112 first doses and 5,958,573 second doses have been administered among the elderly, it added.
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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