"It has been proven that vaccines can reduce the severity of symptoms caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19," Prahastuti noted in a written statement received here on Friday.
The KSP main expert explained that the virus, regardless of how weak it is, can still infect people if it gets a medium for transmission. If the virus is present in the body of a person that already has immunity or antibodies, then it will become weak, she stated.
"In contrast, if the virus enters a body that does not have antibodies, then apart from infecting the person, it will also change its shape and adapt to the human body," she noted.
"If the change (of the virus) makes it become more benign, then it is safe. However, if the change turns it into a more dangerous mutant variant, then this will be a very risky one," the KSP main expert remarked.
Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan had condemned those people dissuading others from getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The minister affirmed that those discouraging others from getting the vaccine should be held responsible for the number of deaths in COVID-19 patients, who opted to not get vaccinated.
Related news: Chinese vaccine suitable as efficacy above WHO-set threshold: IDI
The Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, to boost community immunity against COVID-19. President Joko Widodo was the first vaccine recipient under the program.
According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of February 11, 2022, nearly 187,918,754 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 jab, 134,403,989 have received the second jab, while 6,623,413 have received the third or booster dose.
The government commenced booster vaccinations for the general public on January 12, 2022.
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Translator: Indra Arief, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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