Indonesia Authorizes Sinopharm’s Covid-19 Booster for Aged 18

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has authorized the use of a third dose of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 18 and above at least six months after completion of a primary series.

“Based on the requirements for emergency use authorization, BPOM has evaluated the efficacy and safety aspects of [the vaccine] and allowed the implementation of homologous booster vaccine program for people aged 18 and above,” said BPOM head Penny K Lukito on Wednesday, Feb. 2.

“The emergency use authorization [EUA] for the Sinopharm vaccine provides an alternative to the homologous booster vaccine for the inactivated virus platform,” she said.

Also read: Indonesia Rolls Out Booster Shots, amid Omicron Concerns

She extended her appreciation to all relevant agencies for the support so that the Sinopharm vaccine could be released to the members of the public.

Penny called on the people to follow the health protocols and get vaccinated to break the chain of the Covid-19 transmission.

“Members of the public need to be wise and precautious when consuming medicines for the Covid-19, including not to be easily influenced by the promotion of medicinal products, traditional medicines, and health supplements with claims that they can prevent or cure the Covid-19,” she said.

Previously, BPOM has also authorized five types of Covid-19 booster shots to improve the protection people have from the first two doses previously received.

The five vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use are CoronaVac (Sinovac), Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Zifivax. The first three vaccines comprising CoronaVac, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca will be used for homologous vaccination. The other vaccine types will be used for heterologous vaccination.

The permit would allow the implementation of homologous and heterologous booster vaccine programs. The homologous vaccination uses the same vaccine type as the primary series vaccine, while the heterologous vaccination uses a different vaccine type from the initial vaccine.

The issuance of the EUA referred to the recommendation of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI). The booster shots began on Jan. 12.

(Writer: Haryanti Puspa Sari | Editor: Bagus Santosa)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/02/02/10261381/bpom-terbitkan-izin-penggunaan-darurat-vaksin-sinopharm-sebagai-vaksin.