Good News From The Task Force: According To The President's Mandate, Children Will Be Definitely Vaccinated With COVID-19

Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force (Satgas) Wiku Adisasmito. (Photo: Doc. BNPB)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, brings good news. Wiku said that children in Indonesia would also get a share of the COVID-19 vaccination.

"The children's population will also get vaccinated. Because in accordance with the President's mandate, to work hard so that everyone gets their right to be vaccinated," Wiku said in the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube show, Friday, May 28.

However, Wiku said that currently, Indonesia is still focusing on vaccinating vulnerable groups, which is seen from the largest contribution to national cases.

Currently, the national COVID-19 vaccination program is targeted to receive 181.5 million people. They are people aged 18 years and over. Vaccine recipients receive twice the injection dose.

In the first phase, the vaccine is intended for 1.5 million health workers. In the second stage, the COVID-19 vaccination is intended for the elderly group and public service workers. The target is 21.5 million elderly and 16.9 million public officers.

The targets of the second stage of vaccination are market traders, educators, religious leaders and counselors, people's representatives, officials, government, ASN, TNI-Polri, tourism officers, public services, public transportation workers, athletes, and media workers.

Furthermore, vaccination will be carried out to 63.9 million vulnerable people or residents living in areas with a high risk of transmission. The third stage of vaccination has started in Jakarta since 5 May.

Wiku said, the spread of COVID-19 vaccination for children in the world was due to only a few vaccine brands being tested on children during the procurement process.

Moreover, statistically, COVID-19 cases are dominated by those aged over 19 years. While the percentage contribution of positive cases in children between the ages of 0 to 8 years is not up to 10 percent.

"Current vaccination aims to accelerate the slowdown in the rate of transmission due to the formed immunity. However, in the future it is possible to gradually (vaccinate children)," he explained.

For information, currently, vaccine manufacturers are still conducting clinical trials targeting children. Pfizer's vaccine brand is the first company to involve children ages 12–15 in a COVID-19 vaccine trial since September 2020.

Most recently, Pfizer has just received an emergency use permit from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for COVID-19 vaccination for age groups 12 to 15 years.

Not only Pfizer, but Moderna has also tested the COVID-19 vaccine on 3,700 children aged 12–17 years. Moderna will apply for permission to the authorities to expand the use of its vaccine to children.