Ministry Of Health: COVID-19 Vaccine For The Elderly Has Few Side Effects
JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Vaccination of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, ensures that the COVID-19 vaccine for the elderly has minimal side effects.
“Local side effects are usually pain at the injection site and sometimes fever or body aches. The fever usually goes away in a day or two," Nadia said at the Merdeka Barat Forum, quoted by Antara, Thursday, November 11.
According to her, the COVID-19 vaccine has gone through clinical trials, including those that are injected into the elderly. Based on these tests, the COVID-19 vaccine has no adverse side effects for the elderly.
“Precisely the vaccine is aimed at the elderly and comorbidity because this is the group most affected. This means that this group experienced the most severe COVID-19 illness and death," she said.
Meanwhile, Internal Medicine Specialist Dirga Sakti Rambo said the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for the elderly with comorbidities and the elderly with chronic diseases that have been controlled. He also said that the COVID-19 vaccination was not limited to the elderly until the age of 90.
“Before giving the vaccine, we will first ask how his daily activities are, whether he can walk alone, take stairs, or other activities, can he be independent, if all of them are fulfilled he deserves to be vaccinated. So the condition is not age," he said.
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According to Dirga, even though some of the elderly are only at home, they still need the COVID-19 vaccine so they are not exposed to viruses that may be brought by other family members who are People Without Symptoms (OTG).
“There is also an assumption that the elderly, who have not much life left, do not need to be vaccinated. But some people who are already classified as elderly are still active so they still need to be vaccinated, especially those who have diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure,” he said.
In addition, although currently, the transmission of COVID-19 is starting to be suppressed, it is still important for the elderly to have a COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves from the emergence of new, more virulent COVID-19 variants.