Pak Jokowi! Stock Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Children 6-11 Years In Jakarta Turns Out To Be Empty

COVID-19 vaccination for Children in Jakarta in December 2021 (Photo: BPMI Setpres/Kris)

The centers of COVID-19 vaccination in Jakarta cannot provide vaccine injections for children aged 6 to 11 years at this time. People are confused about finding locations that still provide vaccines for children.

Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Immunization Section of the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Ngabila Salama, confirmed this condition. Ngabila Salama admitted that the stock of the COVID-19 vaccine for children had been empty since a few months ago.

In children aged 6-11 years, the COVID-19 vaccine set by the government is Sinovac. Meanwhile, the availability of this vaccine has run out in various regions throughout Indonesia.

"Indeed, there is no more. Sinovac has been empty for more than 3 months, throughout Indonesia. So, children 6-11 years old cannot be vaccinated," Ngabila said in a short message, Thursday, December 29.

Currently, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has granted permission for the COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 11 years old using Pfizer. Pfizer's stock in Indonesia is also still declared sufficient.

However, the Ministry of Health has not issued a decree to local governments to use vaccines other than the Sinovac type to children 6-11 years old.

Therefore, Ngabila admitted that the DKI Health Office is still waiting for the central government's decision to continue injecting children's vaccines with the option of continuing to vaccinate using Sinovac when stock returns or waiting for the issuance of new regulations regarding vaccine administration other than Sinovac.

"We are still waiting for the regulation of the Indonesian Ministry of Health and waiting for the distribution of the Sinovac vaccine from the Indonesian Ministry of Health. We in the regions are ready to carry out the directives and regulations of the Ministry of Health," said Ngabila.

For information, vaccination of children aged 6-11 years has started since December 14, 2021. Until now, the Ministry of Health is still setting two types of vaccines for children aged 6-11 years, namely Sinovac and Bio Farma's COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination for children 6-11 years old is given 2 times with an interval of at least 28 days through an intramuscular injection in the arm with a dose of 0.5 milliliters.

Until December 28, 2022, the achievement of child vaccination in Jakarta at the injection of the first dose was 74.4 percent and the second dose was 63.6 percent.