PB IDI: Complete 3 Dose Vaccine Criteria Need Logistical Considerations

JAKARTA - Member of the COVID-19 Task Force, the Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) Erlina Burhan, said that the discourse on the criteria for a complete three-dose vaccine needs to consider the logistical capabilities of the vaccine in the country.

"If the government's logistics allow it, it's fine. But it's better to focus on achieving the third dose of injection, which is currently still low," said Erlina Burhan, quoted by Antara, Saturday, June 11.

Reporting from the COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard page of the Indonesian Ministry of Health today, the achievement of the third dose reached 47,535,860 people or equivalent to 22.72 percent of the total target community of 208 million people.

Meanwhile, the population who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine reached 168,030,935 people or 80.68 percent. The first dose amounted to 200,818,541 people or the equivalent of 96.42 percent.

Erlina, who now works as a Lung Specialist at the Friendship General Hospital in East Jakarta, said the criteria for a complete three-dose vaccine were possible considering that the decline in public antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 could not be predicted.

"Despite repeated vaccinations, if you ignore the health protocols (prokes) then the possibility of getting infected remains," he said.

The proposal regarding the criteria for a complete three-dose vaccine was previously put forward by a number of epidemiological experts in Indonesia, including FKUI Epidemiologist Pandu Riono and Dicky Budiman from Australia's Griffith University.

The reason for the input is the background of the community's immunity which needs to be maintained through the provision of booster vaccines or booster doses.

Previously, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Mohamad Syahril, in a virtual press conference, Friday (10/6), said the proposal was under consideration by the Ministry of Health.

"The fourth vaccination is being discussed. There is an epidemiologist's proposal for a complete booster vaccine (dose 1, 2, 3) and this is still being considered," he said.

If the proposal is approved by the Ministry of Health, said Syahril, the definition of booster vaccine in Indonesia is the fourth dose.

The Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi, said the same thing in the Kick Off agenda for Primary Service Integration at the RI Ministry of Health Building, Friday (10/6).

"We will discuss that (complete dose) later on Monday (13/6). That's just the progress," he said.