"The policy of using booster vaccination as a condition for the homecoming exodus is very appropriate to provide optimal protection to the community," he stated here on Tuesday.
Wahyono explained that the policy is expected to reduce and control the number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms.
"Moreover, based on the WHO recommendation, booster vaccines are effective against various new variants of COVID-19. The booster dose is expected to provide more protection for each individual," he remarked.
The virologist explained that the booster dose vaccination aims to strengthen a person's immunity.
"Thus, it is hoped that a person's immune system will become immunocompetent, one of which can be seen from the high antibody levels. Hence, I think the government's policy is the right approach," he expounded.
With the policy, it is expected that the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination for the first, second, and third or booster doses will increase in order to support the acceleration of COVID-19 pandemic handling in Indonesia.
He reminded that a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases could be prevented by strengthening health protocols and revving up vaccinations.
Despite a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases, the public needs to continue to strengthen health protocols, as the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, he stated.
Earlier, President Joko Widodo had emphasized that people would be allowed to join the Eid al-Fitr exodus if they had completed the primary vaccination and received the booster dose against COVID-19.
The president also noted that every exodus activity must be accompanied by the implementation of strict COVID-19 health protocols.
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Translator: Wuryanti Puspitasari, Raka Adj
Editor: Suharto
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