Jokowi Statement Deemed Can Affect BPOM's Work On Vaccinations

Illustration - COVID-19 Vaccine (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo said vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic will begin in the second week of January or next week. He will be the first vaccine recipient to convince the public.

"God willing, this will start next week, the injection of the vaccine will be started. I will be injected for the first time," Jokowi said in an event broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account.

The former governor of DKI Jakarta hopes that the BPOM will issue an emergency use authorization (EUA) soon so that the vaccination program can be implemented immediately.

"We hope that later this (EUA) will come out this week or next week, after that maybe a day or two after that I was immediately injected, the first to be vaccinated," he said.

"Then doctors and nurses then the whole community," added Jokowi.

Epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, said that Kaesang Pangarep's statement regarding the date of the first vaccination meant that he put pressure on BPOM as the party that issued the emergency permit.

"For example, if the president said, I was vaccinated on the 13th, that's pressure on BPOM in my opinion," said Miko when contacted by VOI, Thursday, January 7. The DRR asked the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) not to be burdened with the target of injecting the COVID-19 vaccine. The limit is not time but the completeness of the results of clinical trials on effectiveness and efficacy. Read in full in "BPOM Should Not Hurry Issue Permit for Emergency Use of the COVID-19 Vaccine"

According to him, it would not be right for the government to mention a specific date for the vaccination program. Because, he assessed, things like this should be issued by BPOM because they know more about the COVID-19 vaccine to be used.

"Who should allow it, the president or BPOM? If the BPOM has done so, if the permit has not been issued it means that the Ministry of Health will not vaccinate," he said.

He also considered that this statement made by President Jokowi repeatedly could make BPOM work in a hurry. However, he still has confidence that BPOM will be independent and will not bow to pressure from various parties.

"BPOM will be independent for sure, because they have experts. In my opinion, these experts will not be involved in political decisions. So hopefully," explained Miko.

"If the BPOM is independent, it must be in accordance with the evaluation of vaccines used in Indonesia, such as Sinovac. If the evaluation is okay, okay," he added.

Member of Commission IX DPR RI Kurniasih Mufidayati asked BPOM not to feel burdened by having to issue permits at a certain time. Because he considered, the limitation of analysis before issuing this permit should be determined by the completeness of the results, not based on a certain time.

"The limit is not time, it means that it must be allowed on such a date. But the limit is the completion of clinical trial results on the effectiveness and efficacy of the virus," said Mufida in a written statement to journalists.

He assessed that BPOM should conduct an in-depth study of the pluses and minuses of the synovac vaccine. "BPOM does not need to be burdened with having to issue permits on a certain date," he said.

BPOM, he continued, only needed to guarantee the safety, efficacy and quality of vaccines because the government had to guarantee that all vaccines in circulation had met the eligibility standards and had obtained permits to be circulated and halal.

Not only that, he assessed that BPOM as a licensee must be kept away from pressure from various parties so that they can work properly in accordance with scientific standards and procedures.

"We fully support BPOM to work in accordance with scientific standards and procedures that have so far characterized BPOM," he said.

Regarding the injection of the vaccine, the palace through the Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono said that President Jokowi will be vaccinated on Wednesday, January 13 and the mechanism will be discussed on Friday, January 8.

He stated that the vaccination process would be broadcast live with the aim of increasing public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Infographic by Raga Granada / VOI