Government Confirms Third Dose Of Vaccine Only For Health Workers

JAKARTA - The government has emphasized that the "booster" vaccine or the third dose is only given to health workers (nakes) to provide protection in carrying out their duties in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The priority of the 'booster' vaccine program at this time is health workers as a population at risk, as well as vital in supporting health services during the pandemic," said Minister of Communications and Information, Johnny G Plate, quoted by Antara, Saturday, September 25.

The government has not made any policy changes in this regard, so booster vaccines cannot be given to the general public.

"Currently, the 'booster' vaccine is only prioritized for health workers. This is because this group is more at risk of being exposed to COVID-19," he said.

The Minister of Communication and Information explained that until September 24, 2021, the provision of the third dose of vaccine for health workers had reached 60.74 percent more than the vaccination target of 892,192 people.

The government is still reviewing plans for a third vaccine program for the general public next year.

According to Johnny, the policy still requires deeper consideration and discussion, especially now that the number of recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine for the first dose has not yet reached 50 percent of the total population of Indonesia.

"Until now, 'booster' or the third dose is still a priority for health workers," he said.

Based on data from the Ministry of Health, currently people who have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination totaled 85,433,518 people, and the second dose of vaccination, the cumulative total reached 47,996,105 people.

While the third dose of vaccination was 6,686 and the total was 897,141. There is also a target for vaccination to reach 208,265,720 people.