Minister Of Health: Vaccine Booster Starts January 12

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the booster vaccine or injection of the third dose of COVID-19 could be carried out on 12 January.

He conveyed this after a limited meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta, today or Monday, January 3. The Minister of Health said the third dose of this vaccine will be given to people aged 18 years and over in areas that already meet the criteria.

"The booster vaccine has been decided by the President to run on January 12. It will be given to adults over 18 years old in accordance with WHO recommendations," Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube.

Budi said that the third dose of vaccine will be injected in districts/cities that meet the criteria of 70 percent for the first dose and 60 percent for the second dose.

"So until now there are 244 regencies/cities that have met these criteria," he said.

Furthermore, this booster vaccine can be accepted by the public after they receive the second dose of injection. The target number of vaccine recipients reached 21 million this month.

"And we will determine the type of booster later, there are homologous or the same type, there are also heterologous or different types of vaccines," continued the Minister of Health.

"It will be decided on the 10th after the recommendations from Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) and Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) are issued," concluded Budi.