The Pandemic Has Not Been Completed, The Ministry Of Health Asks The Community To Stay With The Complete COVID-19 Vaccine

Medical personnel have carried out a second dose of booster vaccination

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Health appeals to the public to continue to follow the full dose of COVID-19 vaccination program until the second booster, as a way to increase body immunity. "The pandemic has not been completed. To increase immunity and personal anticipation, of course, it is very good for us to get a second booster," said Head of the Public Communication and Services Bureau of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Siti Nadia Tarmizi, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, February 10. He said that the implementation of national vaccination is facing challenges amid relatively controlled COVID-19 transmission conditions. According to him, vulnerable people tend to ignore the increase in immunity, even though until now new variants continue to emerge. Facing these conditions, he said, the government continues to try to educate the public about the benefits of the complete vaccine until the second booster. In addition, he said, the implementation of health protocols (prokes) is also important to protect themselves. Separately, Environmental Health and Epidemiologist at Griffith University Dicky Budiman said that booster vaccination coverage must continue to be expanded, especially when entering the transition period from pandemic to endemic. Efforts to strengthen immunity are important, he said, because even though the transition period does not mean the virus has disappeared. In addition to strengthening booster vaccines, Dicky encourages the government to be able to provide vaccines throughout Indonesia that are easily accessible to the public. "If for example later the vaccine is paid because the pandemic has been lifted, for example, (price) must be affordable. This means that it must start with a lot of choices, it must be cheap," said Dicky.