"The acceleration of vaccination targets at least 50 percent of the population aged 18 years and over to receive a booster dose while still prioritizing high-risk groups, such as the elderly," the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, noted in Jakarta on Friday.
He considers the program to be important to extend the protection period for the COVID-19 vaccine and ensure no spike in cases in future.
Syahril affirmed that provision of the second booster dose was based on careful consideration, i.e., on data and the epidemiological situation of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia that had been fluctuating in recent times and ensured that Indonesia would not have an increase in the number of cases due to the threat of new variants.
"The provision of the second booster vaccine is important to control the spread of COVID-19 and prevent a spike in cases in Indonesia," he remarked.
Syahril reported that in the last two weeks, there had been an increase in the trend of confirmed cases of COVID-19, active cases, and patient care in hospitals. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has crossed 2,600.
According to Syahril, some 30 percent of the COVID-19 patients, who were hospitalized, had not received the full or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccination and were dominated by the elderly. Moreover, nearly half of the patients, who died in hospital, had not been vaccinated.
Hence, to this end, he urged that revocation of the health emergency status for COVID-19 should not cause excessive euphoria.
"The public must remain careful and alert because the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is still around us, so the potential for transmission still exists. The elderly and patients with comorbidities still have the highest risk. Thus, vaccinations must still be carried out," he emphasized.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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