Health Workers Start Taking The Second Dose Of Booster Vaccination Tomorrow!

Illustration of a COVID-19 booster vaccination. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has issued a circular regarding the implementation of the second booster or second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccination among health workers starting Friday, July 29.

This provision is contained in Circular Letter Number HK.02.02/C/3615/2022 regarding the booster or second dose of COVID-19 vaccination for human resources in the health sector.

According to the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, the circular has been delivered to all regions since today.

"Today a circular was made to all health offices and hospitals for the implementation of the second booster for health workers," said Maxi when asked for confirmation in Jakarta, Thursday, July 28.

Circulars regarding the implementation of the second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccination for human resources in the health sector were conveyed to all heads of provincial and district/city level health offices as well as leaders of health service facilities carrying out COVID-19 vaccinations.

According to the Ministry of Health, a second booster vaccination or fourth dose vaccination for human resources in the health sector can be carried out using a COVID-19 vaccine product that has obtained an emergency use authorization (EUA) approval from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency by taking into account the availability of vaccines.

The second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine is given six months after the first booster vaccination.

The second booster vaccination service for human resources in the health sector is available at health care facilities and COVID-19 vaccination service posts.

Maxi said that the second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was given to health workers with the approval of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI).

"ITAGI approval already exists for high-risk groups," he said.

The second booster vaccination target for the human resources group in the health sector, according to Maxi, is still being calculated.

Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Dante Saksono Harbuwono when asked for confirmation separately on Thursday said that health workers are at the forefront of health services who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 while serving patients.

"We know that there have been two doctors who died due to the COVID-19 pandemic that developed with the current variant," he said.

According to data published on the Ministry of Health's official COVID-19 vaccination information website on Thursday, the number of health workers who were targeted for vaccination was 1.468.764 people.

The first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccination were recorded to have covered 138.42 percent and 134.99 percent, respectively, of the vaccination target among health workers. Meanwhile, the third dose of vaccination or the first booster vaccination was recorded to have covered 114.28 percent of the vaccination target in the group of health workers.