2nd Booster For Health Care Begins, IDI: Vaccination Allows People To Learn To Live With Virus

Illustration of booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (Antaranews)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) M. Adib Khumaidi welcomed the government's policy of administering a second booster or booster dose of vaccination for health workers in Indonesia.

"IDI welcomes the second booster of COVID-19 vaccination for health workers. Vaccination has proven to have saved many lives, reduced pressure on health facilities and allowed people to learn to live with the virus," said M. Adib in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Friday 29 July.

The Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) issued Circular No. HK 02.02/C/3615/2022 regarding the 2nd Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Human Resources.

This is because health Human Resources (HR) are a group that has a high risk of being exposed to COVID-19, as well as considering the increasing number of health workers infected with COVID-19.

According to Adib, the main goal of the COVID-19 vaccination is to protect the public from hospitalization rates, severity, and death.

Therefore, a 2nd booster dose is required as immunity to COVID-19 begins to decline six months after the last vaccination. In addition, the new variant also has a much more infectious nature.

However, Adib also asked the government to continue to encourage booster vaccination or the third dose for the community so that community immunity is achieved.

Adib advised all health workers to continue to implement strict health protocols by using personal protective equipment (PPE) when providing health services, as well as general health protocols when not undergoing services.

Secretary General of PB IDI Ulul Albab added that the 2nd booster dose vaccination program for health workers is a national mission because vaccines are the best way to protect beneficiaries and their closest people.

"We encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

The second booster dose vaccination for health workers starts today at all health facilities in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, booster vaccinations for the community can be accessed apart from health facilities, such as puskesmas, but also through vaccination centers opened by the local government.