Ministry Of Health Gives Booster Dose Of COVID Vaccination Tomorrow, Target Is 1.9 Million Health Workers

Illustration-A doctor shows the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for the third dose (booster) for health workers at the Dumai Hospital, Riau/ANTARA

JAKARTA - The second booster dose of vaccination in Indonesia targets 1.9 million people who work as health workers.

"Today, a circular was made to all health offices and hospitals for the implementation of the second booster for health workers," said Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, confirmed in Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, July 28.

Maxi said the development of COVID-19 cases showed an increasing trend of cases in recent days. Health HR is a group that has a high risk of being exposed to COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health through the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control issued a circular letter number HK.02.02/C/3615/2022 regarding the second booster dose of COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Human Resources which will start on Friday (29/7).

According to Maxi, the decision was strengthened with the support of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) based on the recommendation letter numbered ITAGI/SR/11/2022 dated 27 June 2022.

The second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccination for health human resources such as doctors, nurses, midwives and hospital employees is carried out at health service facilities and or at the COVID-19 vaccination service post.

The vaccine that can be used for the second booster dose is the COVID-19 vaccine which has obtained an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and pays attention to the availability of existing vaccines.

"All heads of provincial health offices, heads of district/city health offices, and heads of health care facilities carry out the second COVID-19 booster vaccination for health human resources," he said.

Separately, ITAGI Chair Prof Sri Rezeki said the results of a survey conducted by his party in February 2022 on 10,000 health workers receiving booster vaccines showed an optimal level of protection.

"We only asked if the PCR results were positive? Because that could be a benchmark. We spread the questions through Google Form," he said.

Of all respondents, only 2 percent or the equivalent of 210 health workers were infected with COVID-19. He was hospitalized for severe and moderate symptoms, while the rest underwent self-isolation due to mild symptoms.

"If you think about it, health workers are not infected in the hospital, it can be in public transportation or in other places outside the hospital environment," he said.

Sri advised the Ministry of Health to pay close attention to the availability of vaccines for the need for complete primary and first booster vaccinations for the general public during the second booster for health workers.

"Once the vaccine was destroyed, it should not be like that. We have to really look for priorities," he said.