COVID-19 Task Force: There Are No Effective Vaccine Researches For COVID-19 Survivors

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Task Force (Task Force) Handling COVID-19 Wiku Adisasmito said, until now there has been no effective vaccine for COVID-19 survivors. Wiku conveyed this after observing a number of studies related to the current COVID-19 vaccine.

"Until now, there has been no research regarding the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 survivors," Wiku said in an online press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Tuesday, December 8.

However, over time, Wiku believes that there will be research on the effectiveness of vaccines for people who have been infected with COVID-19.

"As time goes by, of course, there will be other studies. Including those related to reinfection and the COVID-19 vaccine," he said.

He also touched on the COVID-19 vaccine, namely Sinovac, which just arrived in Indonesia on Sunday, December 6. Wiku said that survivors of this virus would not be included in the priority list for vaccination.

The Indonesian government, he said, prioritizes those who are declared at high risk of contracting this virus to first be given vaccines. One of the groups that is susceptible to being exposed to the virus and becomes the group that is prioritized is health personnel.

"Vaccine delivery in Indonesia is prioritized for groups at high risk of infection in accordance with the Minister of Health's statement. Among them are health workers, assistant health workers, and support personnel who work in health service facilities," he said.

Wiku said, of the 1.2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine that had arrived in Indonesia, it could only be given to 600 thousand people. However, its use is still awaiting emergency use authorization (EUA) or an emergency use permit that will be issued by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).

"The POM will immediately test the COVID-19 vaccine, which on Sunday, December 6 evening entered the country. It should be remembered that the testing carried out by the POM is important for issuing recommendations for emergency use of authorization after the test results are complete," he said.

Previously reported, the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Cengkareng, tonight at around 21.25 WIB. The vaccine is transported using an aircraft belonging to the airline PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk, a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The COVID-19 vaccine is transported using a special container that says ENVIROTAINER coded RAP81179PC.

After arriving in Indonesia, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the arrival of this vaccine is good news and new hope in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

"Today the government has received 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This vaccine is made by Sinovac, which we have been testing clinically in Bandung since August 2020," he said, quoted from a live broadcast on the Youtube account of the Presidential Secretariat, Sunday, December 6. .