Increase Target of the Government Vaccination Program

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Vaccine preparation was held during a simulation of giving anti-Covid 19 vaccines at the Tapos Puskesmas, Tapos District, Depok City, West Java, Thursday (22/10/2020).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — It is feared that the low target of the government’s Covid-19 vaccination program will make it difficult to achieve sufficient national immunization coverage to form community immunity. Therefore, the House of Representatives (DPR) has urged the government to increase the vaccination target.

The government aims to give Covid-19 vaccinations to around 107 million people, 67 percent of the population aged 18 to 59. Of that number, only 32 million people are included in the government\'s vaccine scheme, while another 75 million people are targeted by self-reliant vaccines.

From the results of a hearing with Commission IX of the DPR overseeing health care and manpower with the Health Minister, the chairperson of the Covid-19 and National Economic Recovery Committee, and the head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, in Jakarta, on Thursday (10/12/2020), the proportion of the vaccine program must be greater than that of the independent scheme.

Also read: Collaboration Necessary in COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts

"Referring to PBI (contribution assistance recipients) data in the JKN (National Health Insurance) program, there are more than 120 million people. Compared to the 32 million people, that figure is very different. It is impossible for us to burden them with the cost of vaccines,” said a member of Commission IX of the DPR from the Prosperous Justice Party faction, Kurniasih Mufidayati.

A member of Commission IX of the DPR from the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, Saleh Partaonan Daulay, questioned the legal basis for determining the number of vaccine recipients for the government and private programs. The government should cover the cost of vaccination at the target coverage to achieve community immunity.

Also read: Vaccine Supply Follows WHO Standards

"If 70 percent of the population is asked to get the vaccination independently, this poses a risk. Some of the residents are incapable and doubtful so the target will be difficult to achieve," he said.

Kompas

A member of staff holds a phial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Southmead Hospital, Briston on December 8, 2020. - Britain on December 8 hailed a turning point in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as it begins the biggest vaccination programme in the country\'s history with a new Covid-19 jab.

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said the number of vaccine recipients could change. The target of vaccine recipients under the government scheme does not include the number of vaccine recipients from multilateral cooperation through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization in the Covax program.

In this program, Indonesia will receive the Covid-19 vaccines for 20 percent of the population (54 million people). Vaccines are procured at no cost so the government can provide them immediately to the citizens.

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"This calculation takes into account the consideration of the Finance Minister, who estimates that 78 million Indonesians are capable. This is a consideration in determining the number of government program recipients," he said.

The head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency, Penny K. Lukito, added that the Covid-19 vaccination would ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccines to be given, including vaccines produced by Sinovac Biotech China. "The test results regarding the efficacy of the vaccine made by Sinovac have not yet come out," she said.

Kompas

This handout photo taken on December 6, 2020 and released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace shows one of the containers with the 1.2 million dosage of Covid-19 vaccine made by Sinovac, on arrival from Beijing at the Jakarta International Airport in Tangerang.

The chairman of the Indonesian Association of Public Health Experts, Ede Surya Darmawan, said vaccines were not the only way to protect someone from Covid-19. The discipline of carrying out health protocols must be carried out in addition to strengthening examinations, contact tracing and mitigating Covid-19 cases.

An Indonesian disaster sociology expert who is also a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, Sulfikar Amir, said the Covid-19 vaccines must be provided free of charge. Sulfikar initiated an online petition at change.org to President Joko Widodo, the speaker and deputy speakers of the DPR, and the Health Minister to make the Covid-19 vaccines free.

Chief justices who died

The Supreme Court (MA), through its official website, reported the death of Supreme Court justice Dudu Duswara, on Thursday at around 6:32 p.m., at Sentosa Asih Hospital, Bandung, West Java.

Supreme Court spokesman Andi Samsan Nganro said that before dying, Dudu tested positive for Covid-19. "Yes, it\'s true," he said when he was contacted.

Also read: Vaccination Pending Scientific Study

Chairman of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court Suhadi said, during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were 60 judges in court who tested positive for Covid-19 and died. Therefore, the Supreme Court issued a regulation to mitigate the transmission of Covid-19, namely Perma No. 4/2020 on Guidelines for Electronic Criminal Trials.

(AIK/ TAN/ DIT/ DEA)