COVID-19 Vaccination For 100 Thousand Health Workers Has Been Canceled. Many Of Them Have High Blood Pressure

JAKARTA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that there were 100.000 health workers (Nakes) who got canceled receiving the COVID-19 vaccine injection in the ongoing vaccination program.

Budi said that medical personnel who canceled receiving this vaccination were because they showed the characteristics of people who had been COVID-19 survivors.

"We can postpone the injection of 100.000 health workers because they still have immunity", Budi said in a virtual press conference, Sunday, February 7.

In addition, a number of health workers who canceled their vaccinations were also due to high blood pressure during the medical examination before receiving the Sinovac vaccine.

"What we also observe is that many of our people have high blood pressure, so they cannot be given the vaccination injection at that time", he said.

Then, there are also around 11.600 health workers who have not received vaccinations to date because they are in the elderly age group or over 60 years.

Previously, the emergency use authorization on the Sinovac vaccine, which was issued on January 11, was aimed at the age group above 18 to 59 years.

"They can not be injected because the age range for the first Drug and Food Control Agency emergency use authorization is between 18 to 59 years old", said Budi.

The government is targeting 1.5 million health workers to receive the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine administration is carried out in two injection doses in an interval of 14 days.

Until now, there are only 900 thousand health workers who have been vaccinated. The government still has until the end of February to complete the vaccination of medical personnel.