Ministry Of Health: Indonesia Is Still Evaluating The Fourth Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine

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JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenkes) Dante S. Harbuwono said the administration of the fourth dose booster vaccine for all residents in Indonesia is still being evaluated and reviewed by the government.

"If later it is necessary with studies that we continue to evaluate and it turns out that we need a fourth amplifier, then it is not impossible that the fourth amplifier will be carried out," said Dante, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, February 23.

Dante said, currently the government is continuing to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccination activity and has not yet decided when the fourth dose will be given, as has been done by several other countries.

Compared to following the developments of other countries that had already given the fourth dose, he emphasized that the Indonesian government was focusing on pursuing vaccination inequality between groups in society, both from the first or second dose throughout Indonesia.

The administration of the primary vaccine with a complete dose is targeted to be completed evenly by the government in June 2022, so that after that, the government will implement vaccination for all groups decided by the development of the COVID-19 trend in the population.

"After the primary vaccination is complete, we are targeting it to be completed in June. Then we evaluate it with epidemiological clinical trials," said Dante.

According to him, the third dose that was started to be given to the public could be given because based on the protection studies carried out, the protection provided by the vaccine to the body has begun to decrease within three to six months.

Seeing that vaccines can reduce the risk of death and the severity of symptoms due to COVID-19, Dante appealed to all parties to immediately carry out vaccinations and complete them completely. Meanwhile, for those who are able to get the third dose, it is recommended to immediately visit the nearest health facility.

“I said, one vaccination only protects 16 percent. Two vaccinations will protect 67 percent and three vaccinations will protect 97 percent. So vaccination is one of the most significant ways to reduce mortality," he said.