Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi: COVID-19 Vaccination For Children 6-11 Years Old Starting Tomorrow, President Jokowi Will Inaugurate

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JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the provision of the COVID-19 vaccine to children under 12 years of age would begin tomorrow or Tuesday, December 14.

The plan, this activity will be inaugurated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). However, Budi did not specify where the COVID-19 vaccine delivery activity would be carried out.

"The vaccination for children aged 6-11 years will start tomorrow and God willing, it will be inaugurated by the President himself," Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, December 13.

Later, children under the age of 12 will receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac. This type of vaccine, said Budi, has obtained an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).

"The vaccination that will be given to children aged 6-11 years that has been approved by BPOM is Sinovac," he said.

Previously, the Indonesian Ministry of Health allocated 6.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6-11 years on the first day of vaccination.

Meanwhile, General Chairperson of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) Piprim Basarah Yanuarso said the Sinovac vaccine, which has received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from BPOM, is safe for children aged 6-11 years.

"I hope parents don't worry because God willing, this COVID-19 vaccine is safe. In fact, in some studies, the side effects of this vaccine on children are much lighter than for adults, with higher effectiveness for children than for adults," Piprim said in a talk show titled 'Child Vaccines, Love Families' quoted by Antara, Monday, November 8. According to him, around 90 percent of children who took clinical trials did not feel any side effects from Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine. While the rest only experienced local effects such as fever and mild pain around the area where the vaccine was injected.

"If the child is still agile, parents don't need to worry. So parents need to observe, try to get the child to get enough rest, don't get too tired after the vaccine," said Piprim.

For children with special needs, parents are asked to monitor more closely. Observation is necessary because sometimes children cannot express what is bothering them.

During the observation process, parents are advised to measure their child's body temperature after the COVID-19 vaccination. When the child's body temperature is slightly above 37.5 degrees Celsius, parents don't need to worry too much as long as the child is still active, cheerful, and willing to eat and drink.

"Besides, we can compare children's activities with their usual activities. So, children who are usually active, then stay quiet after the COVID-19 vaccine, this may need to consult with a pediatrician," he said.