This applies to targets who received AstraZeneca (for) primary vaccines
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The locally-made COVID-19 vaccine, IndoVac, can already be used for the fourth dose, or second booster vaccinations, for people aged 18 years and above, according to an official from the Ministry of Health.

“The Health Ministry has added the COVID-19 vaccine regimen, namely the IndoVac vaccine, as a second booster (vaccine). This applies to targets who received AstraZeneca (for) primary vaccines,” Health Ministry’s Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated when confirmed here on Wednesday.

The provision of IndoVac for second booster dose vaccination is approved for the general public aged 18 years and above. Earlier, the vaccine was only given to older adults or people aged 60 years and above.

“This vaccine has received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM),” she remarked.

The use of the IndoVac vaccine, as a second booster vaccine, is based on the recommendation of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) Number ITAGI/SR/3/2023 that was issued on March 6, 2023, on Update for the Provision of the IndoVac COVID-19 Booster Dose.

IndoVac is given in a full dose, or 0.5 ml as a second booster dose vaccine. The vaccine is given at an interval of six months from the first booster dose.

The IndoVac second booster vaccines are provided at health facilities or COVID-19 vaccination posts.

“Booster doses are needed, so that immunity is maintained and to cut the COVID-19 transmission,” she remarked.

Tarmizi noted that most of the COVID-19 patients that are hospitalized and are experiencing moderate to severe symptoms had not received booster doses. Similarly, most of the patients that had succumbed to the disease had not received the booster doses, she pointed out.

According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of March 7, 2023, some 203,811,617 Indonesians have received the first vaccine dose, 174,839,531 have been administered the second dose, 70,026,136 have taken the third dose or first booster, and 2,768,683 people have received the second booster.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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