Erick Thohir Welcomes The Emergency Use Authorization Of Sinopharm Vaccines For Boosters, Kimia Farma: 350 Clinics Ready To Implement Vaccinations

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Food and Drugs Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has officially issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Sinopharm vaccine, as an advanced dose of homologous booster vaccine for adults 18 years and over.

Thus, people who have received the complete primary dose of Sinopharm vaccine for at least 6 months can receive the booster vaccine produced by the Beijing Bio-Institute Biological.

Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Tohir welcomed the issuance of the EUA Sinopharm Vaccine for the continued booster dose.

"Alhamdulillah, the EUA continued or booster dose for the Sinopharm Vaccine has been issued by the POM. I am also grateful that the Sinopharm vaccine certificate is available at PeduliLindungi," he said in a written statement, quoted on Thursday, February 17.

On the same occasion, President Director of PT Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk Verdi Budidarmo said that the Sinopharm booster vaccine was here to help accelerate the vaccination program launched by the government.

"After the booster is carried out with Sinopharm, certificates for further or booster doses of vaccines can be accessed at Peduli Protect," said Verdi.

Verdi said that Kimia Farma clinics spread across Indonesia were also ready for the follow-up vaccination.

"350 Kimia Farma clinics spread throughout Indonesia are ready to carry out further or booster vaccinations with the Sinopharm vaccine," he said.

For your information, the POM Agency has evaluated the efficacy and safety aspects referring to the COVID-19 vaccine evaluation standard for the Sinopharm vaccine as a homologous booster dose for adults 18 years and over. The Sinopharm vaccine as a booster is generally well tolerated.

The frequency, type, and severity of adverse reactions or adverse events (KTD) after booster administration was lower than during primary dosing.

The adverse events that often occur are local reactions such as pain at the injection site, swelling, and redness as well as systemic reactions such as headache, fatigue, and muscle aches, with a grade of 1-2 severity.

Judging from the immunogenicity aspect, the increase in humoral immune response for the measurement parameters of neutralizing and anti-IgG antibodies was 8.4 times and 8 times, respectively, compared to before giving the booster. The immune response after giving this booster is higher than the immune response produced during primary vaccination.