"Please ensure first that the health condition is fit to receive the second booster dose," she said at a health broadcast that was followed online on Monday.
Since November 2022, the government has officially started providing the second booster dose to adults aged above 60 who received the first booster six months prior, Asmoro informed.
However, while it is making efforts to increase the coverage of the booster dose, the government is encountering several older adults with comorbidities. The most common diseases that affect older adults are heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus.
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Asmoro appealed to families to get older adults with comorbidities checked first by specialist doctors or their personal physicians to ensure that they are ready to get the vaccine.
The spokesperson further said that, after a health check, older adults usually get a recommendation letter. Older adults with comorbidities whose examination results show that the comorbidities are under control and who have an E-ticket at PeduliLindungi can immediately register at the nearest health facility.
She also urged older adults who have not received the first booster to get the dose immediately.
"Let us encourage older adults to go to the nearest health facility and educate them on (the benefits of) vaccination," she remarked.
As part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021. The program is targeting as many as 234,666,020 citizens.
According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 12, 2022, as many as 203,833,159 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 174,449,231 have been administered the second dose, 67,522,970 have taken the third dose or first booster, and 1,018,280 have received the fourth dose or second booster.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
