The government has not yet decided the official feeJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has yet to determine the official price for the COVID-19 vaccine booster that applies to independent participants, spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination from the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated.
"The government has not yet decided the official fee," Tarmizi noted in a written statement received here, Wednesday.
The ministry's spokesperson later reported that booster vaccinations for free and paid programs will commence on January 12, 2022. The vaccination fee will be applicable to people included in non-government or independent vaccination programs.
Tarmizi clarified that the vaccination fees, for which information has been currently circulating in Indonesian news and social media platforms, are not domestic vaccination rates but inoculation rates applied in foreign countries. The fee is still an estimated price range that applies in several countries.
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Moreover, the spokesperson noted that the determination of booster vaccination fee in Indonesia must involve various parties, including the Government's Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).
The types and doses of vaccines to be administered are still pending confirmation and recommendations from experts and research studies on booster vaccines and in accordance with the distribution permit or emergency use authorization (EUA) from the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM).
The provision of booster vaccination is prioritized for health workers, the elderly, participants of State-owned Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), as well as people with comorbidities and those having immunocompromised conditions.
Vaccinations for non-government or independent programs can be financed by individuals or business entities and will be conducted at state-owned hospitals, private hospitals, and private clinics.
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Earlier, Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin spoke of 21 million Indonesian citizens being included in the target group for booster vaccination.
The booster vaccination is specifically targeted for districts and cities having met the criteria for 70 percent of the first dose of vaccination and 60 percent for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination, he explained.
"Until now, 244 districts and cities have met these criteria," Sadikin stated.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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