Covid-19 Booster Shots Are Free to the Public, Says Jokowi

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia is set to administer the third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, which will be free to the public, starting from Jan. 12.

President Joko "Jokowi” Widodo said that the decision to provide free booster shots was taken as the government prioritizes the safety of the people in an effort to control the pandemic.

“I decided that the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be free to the public in Indonesia because the safety of the people is the main priority,” Jokowi said in a televised message on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

The President said that the government will start the booster shot rollout on Wednesday, Jan. 12 by prioritizing senior citizens and vulnerable groups.

Also read: Indonesia Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Five Covid-19 Booster Shots

“Starting from Jan. 12, 2022, the government will administer the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for the elderly and vulnerable groups,” he said.

“This effort is important to strengthen body immunity as the coronavirus continues to mutate. With that, I have decided that the booster shots will be free to the public,” he said.

The Covid-19 booster jabs will be administered to the people who have received their second dose of the vaccine six months ago.

Amid the omicron threat, Jokowi urged the public to follow health protocols by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands. “Vaccination and following health protocols are the keys to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Five types of booster shots

Recently, the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for five types of Covid-19 booster shots to improve the protection people have from the first two doses previously received. The five vaccines are CoronaVac (Sinovac), Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Zifivax.

The EUA 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.

Also read: Indonesia to Begin Covid-19 Booster Shots on Jan. 12

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.

“PT Bio Farma’s Coronavac vaccine is used for homologous vaccination which will be given one dose to people aged 18 years after receiving the complete primary vaccine in six months,” BPOM head Penny Lukito told a press conference on Monday, Jan. 10.

She also said that the Pfizer vaccine will be used for homologous vaccination.
Besides the five vaccines, BPOM is currently conducting clinical trials for other Covid-19 vaccines that will also be used for the booster jabs. “We hope that BPOM will issue the authorization for emergency use in a few days.”

(Writer: Dian Erika Nugraheny | Editors: Krisiandi, Dani Prabowo)

Sources: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/01/11/13452411/jokowi-vaksinasi-booster-mulai-12-januari-2022-gratis-untuk-warga?page=all.

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/01/11/14004591/jokowi-saya-putuskan-vaksin-booster-gratis-karena-keselamatan-rakyat-yang.