Ministry Of Health: Strengthening Vaccines In The First Quarter Focus On Using AstraZeneca

JAKARTA - The government has begun to focus on booster vaccinations or booster doses using the AstraZeneca vaccine in the first three months (quarter 1) of 2022.

"For the first quarter of 2022, the allocation of booster vaccines will be prioritized for the AstraZeneca vaccine, considering the availability of a large stock of vaccines," said Spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination at the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, quoted by Antara, Sunday, January 30.

Nadia said the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used at intervals of eight to 12 weeks, but to speed up the achievement of the primary dose, the AstraZeneca vaccine is given at an interval of eight weeks after receiving the complete primary dose.

The booster dose vaccination program can be implemented simultaneously in all regencies/cities for the general public without waiting for the target to achieve 70 percent and a minimum dose coverage of 1 elderly at 60 percent.

Requirements to receive booster dose vaccines include, among others, prospective vaccine recipients showing their NIK by bringing their ID card/KK or through the PeduliLindung application, aged 18 years and over, having received a complete primary dose of vaccination at least six months earlier.

The booster dose regimen given in the first quarter of 2022 is for targets with the primary dose of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccine is given, half dose (0.25 ml), or Pfizer vaccine is half dose (0.15 ml).

For targets with a primary dose of AstraZeneca, the Moderna vaccine, half dose (0.25 ml), can also be Pfizer vaccine, half dose (0.15 ml), or AstraZeneca vaccine, full dose (0.5 ml).

"All of these provisions have been studied by health science experts such as the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI), the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and academics," he said.