Ministry Of Health: 73 Percent Of COVID-19 Patient Deaths Experienced By Patients Without Vaccine Protection

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi said as many as 73 percent of the total 2,484 deaths due to COVID-19 in Indonesia experienced by people who have not received vaccine protection.

"A total of 73 percent of these have not been fully vaccinated, either they have not received the vaccine at all or have only received one dose of the vaccine," he said, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, February 22.

Of the total 2,484 deaths, he said, those infected with SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 generally have a delay in the second dose of vaccination for 5.8 months since the first dose. Another 46 percent of patients had comorbidities (comorbidities) and 21 percent of them had more than one comorbid disease.

Nadia, who also serves as Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, said that out of a total of 17,871 patients treated from January 21 to February 19, 2022, cases of death increased in the elderly group, people with comorbidities and had not completed vaccinations.

For this reason, the Ministry of Health continues to encourage vaccination, especially for the elderly target group in order to provide protection from the risk of severe disease or the potential to face death from COVID-19.

Nadia said the risk of death for non-elderly without comorbidities who had received a booster dose was around 0.49 percent, while the risk of death for the elderly without comorbidities who had received a booster was around 7.5 percent.

"This is a very low risk, which means that with vaccination it appears that the mortality is decreased with vaccination," he said.

Meanwhile, the risk of death for non-elderly without comorbidities who have been fully vaccinated with two doses is 2.9 percent, while the risk of death for elderly without comorbidities who have received complete vaccination is 22.8 percent, he added.

The results of the study from the Ministry of Health, he said, showed that the risk of death increased by an average of 3.5 times higher in the elderly group and people with comorbidities and in people who had not received vaccinations.

"Complete vaccination provides protection for up to 67 percent of deaths, even 91 percent protection for those who have received booster vaccinations," said Siti Nadia Tarmizi.