Indonesian Ministry of Health: Covid-19 Vaccine Not A Coronavirus Cure

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian Ministry of Health has warned that Indonesia’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, even as the government has started vaccinations around the country.

“A recipient of a Covid-19 vaccine can still contract the coronavirus. But if they get vaccinated, their body received defenses that will keep them from falling ill [from Covid-19],” said Ministry of Health spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi on Monday, February 15.

She added that if a person falls ill from Covid-19, the vaccine can keep their illness from worsening.

“The Covid-19 vaccine can protect [the recipient] from the more serious, and even fatal, symptoms of the coronavirus. The vaccine is still the best solution for people infected by the coronavirus, even as the virus continues to evolve and mutate.”

Also read: Indonesia Starts to Vaccinate the Elderly Against Covid-19

Nadia pointed out that the vaccine can build up an individual’s antibody gradually, making it crucial that they take get inoculated twice with a 28 day gap in between.

“The first dosage [of the Covid-19] vaccine can build up 60 percent of the recipient’s antibody. If they take their second dosage, their antibody [against Covid-19] can increase to 95 percent,” she noted.

Meanwhile, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has called on the Indonesian armed forces and Indonesian National Police to support the government's mass Covid-19 inoculation drive, due to their experience and speed in dealing with emergencies and crises.

"While [the mass vaccinations] will be carried out in public health clinics [puskesmas] and hospitals, as well as cluster systems, such as for those providing economic services or red zone districts experiencing a high rate of Covid-19 transmission," Jokowi noted.

DOK.Universitas Indonesia Jokowi giving a speech at UI's 71st anniversary

Also read: Indonesia Will Begin Two-Week Micro-scale Covid-19 Restrictions Tomorrow 

"The armed forces and police are also well-placed to enforce health protocols, because their respective command structures reached to village or neighborhood levels," the former Jakarta governor and mayor of Solo, Central Java asserted.

"Their ability to enforce [the law] in a coordinated manner can help break the Covid-19 chain of transmission and overcome the pandemic." 

Indonesia has started Covid-19 vaccinations on January 13th 2021, with President Joko Widodo as its first recipient.

Medical workers are the first to receive the vaccine in January and February, followed by police and military personnel in March and the general public next April.

The government aims to vaccinate about 70 percent of Indonesia’s population, or 182 million people, within a year to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19.

(Writers: Fitria Chusna Farisa, Dian Erika Nugraheny | Editor : Dani Prabowo)

Source: 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/02/15/18404061/kemenkes-orang-yang-sudah-divaksin-covid-19-masih-mungkin-tertular-virus.

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/02/15/22500481/jokowi-minta-tni-polri-dukung-pelaksanaan-vaksinasi-massal?page=all#page2.