Indonesia’s Covid-19 Task Force: Vaccines Effective Against All Covid-19 Variants

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesian Covid-19 Task Force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito has assured the Indonesian public that the Covid-19 vaccines used in Indonesia are effective protection against the Delta variant of Covid-19 or B.1.617.2 and other coronavirus strains.

“The effectiveness rate of the Covid-19 vaccines used in Indonesia, such as Sinovac and AstraZeneca, is higher than 50 percent," he said on Tuesday.

But Wiku noted that “like all viruses, Covid-19 mutates to defend itself. The mutation process will occur constantly as long as the potential for transmission exists".

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He added that "further research and monitoring is required to ensure that the vaccines can protect the public by providing herd immunity.”

Wiku admitted that whole genome sequencing, the surveillance method that detected the Delta variant of Covid-19 as well as coronavirus strains from Great Britain and South Africa, has yet to be carried out throughout Indonesia because it requires a large number of samples.

Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed that the Delta variant of Covid-19 is one of the most widely spread strains of the coronavirus in Indonesia.

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“The Delta strain of the coronavirus is found in Jakarta, after it was identified as the source of coronavirus clusters in Kudus Regency, Central Java and Bangkalan Regency on East Java province’s Madura Island.”

Budi noted that the transmission of the Delta variant of the coronavirus is quicker than other Covid-19 strains, though it is not more deadly than the Alpha strain from Great Britain or the Beta variant from South Africa.

(Writer: Fitria Chusna Farisa | Editor: Krisiandi)

Source:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/16/05431731/satgas-efektivitas-vaksin-covid-19-masih-tinggi-termasuk-melindungi-dari?page=all#page2.