So, go booster!
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Lead Co-Chair of Indonesia T20 Global Health Security and COVID-19 Task Force Hasbullah Thabrany emphasized the criticality of taking the third dose or booster COVID-19 vaccination for people at risk amid the ongoing pandemic.

The immunity provided by vaccines for respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19, did not usually last a lifetime, as was the case with polio, he told ANTARA through a brief message on Tuesday.

To this end, Thabrany accentuated the need for booster vaccination during periods in which the levels of antibodies produced by the vaccine in the body had declined.

"Children can already be vaccinated because vaccines are proven effective," he remarked.


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According to Thabrany, when antibody levels decline within a certain period of time, both in adults and children, then the risk of virus infection emerges.

"For instance, this can cause diseases, which leads to worsening of the situation and can also lead to death depending on our body's immunity, including in children and infants," he elaborated.

He also emphasized that booster vaccine is a preventive process to avoid diseases.

"Hence, go booster!," he remarked.

Earlier, the Indonesian Doctor Association (IDI) Task Force Head Zubairi Djoerban estimated that Indonesia is entering the fourth wave of COVID-19 infection.

This projection is based on the significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases recently.

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His group recorded that the spike in daily cases is quite high starting from July 2, with the tally reaching 1,794, and continues to vacillate, with the tendency to rise to this day.

To this end, the IDI urged the people to be careful, to consistently implement health protocols to prevent COVID-19 infection, and immediately undergo booster vaccination.

The government targets 208,265,720 people for the national vaccination program.

According to covid19.go.id, until July 19, 2022, a total of 201,994,141 people had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, 169,613,168 had received the second dose, and 53,319,158 had received the third dose.

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Translator: Asri Mayang S, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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