Facts About The Booster Vaccine That Will Be Injected January 12

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JAKARTA - The government has determined the use of the third dose of vaccination or booster for COVID-19 on January 12. The booster vaccine will be given to people aged 18 years and over.

Currently, the government has not set a definite price for the booster vaccine. Regarding the news circulating about the cost of the vaccine, which is around IDR 300 thousand, this amount is still an estimate.

"There is no official fee that has been set by the government. The currently circulating tariff is not the domestic vaccination rate, but the vaccination rate abroad. The tariff is still an estimate of the price range that applies in several countries", said a vaccination spokesman from the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi on Tuesday, January 4.

Target recipients of booster vaccines

The Ministry of Health as many as 21 million Indonesians are included in the target group for the booster vaccination which will start on January 12, 2022.

The booster vaccine will be given to adults over 18 years of age and have been vaccinated in two doses, by the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Another provision is to target districts/cities that have met the criteria for 70 percent of the first dose of injection and 60 percent for the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Ministry of Health has recorded that 244 districts/cities have met these criteria.

The booster vaccination will be given at intervals of injections over six months after the second dose is received by the participant.

However, when starting a booster vaccination, the government will prioritize health workers, the elderly, participants who receive contribution assistance (PBI), and the immunocompromised comorbid group.

Vaccinations for non-government or independent programs can be financed by individuals or business entities and are carried out at state-owned hospitals, private hospitals, or private clinics.

However, the government continues to provide free vaccinations in government programs for the elderly, BPJS Kesehatan participants in the PBI group, and other vulnerable groups.

Vaccine type

The type or brand of booster vaccine has not yet been decided. The government is still waiting for confirmation and recommendations from the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) and the ongoing booster research study by the distribution permit or Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval from BPOM.

"We will determine the type of booster later, some are homologous or the same type, some are heterologous with different vaccine types. Hopefully, it will be decided on the 10th, recommendations from ITAGI and BPOM have been issued", said Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

However, currently, there are five types of vaccines that are being registered as candidates for booster vaccines by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM). The five vaccines are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac (CoronaVac/PT Bio Farma vaccine), Zifivax, and Sinopharm.