Ensure the Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

As Indonesia began its first vaccination, with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo receiving the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine, preconditions to guarantee the efficacy of the country’s mass inoculation drive must be ensured.

BPMI SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo became the first person to get the Covid-19 vaccination in Indonesia, Wednesday (13/1/2021).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The preconditions that will guarantee the efficacy of Indonesia’s mass vaccination drive must be ensured so that the positive “capital” at the beginning of the vaccination, one of which is public trust in the government, will not be in vain. The other aspects include the infrastructure to distribute and store the vaccines as well as the screening for potential vaccine recipients.

Gadjah Mada University (UGM) pharmacology and clinical pharmacy expert Zullies Ikawati stated that the infrastructure that supports vaccine distribution and storage, which includes cold chain capacity, human resources for vaccinators and monitoring of vaccine’s side effects, was crucial.

Also read: Overcoming Constraints on Vaccine Distribution

“The instruments that influence the public are also need to be prepared so that people would want to be vaccinated and follow given directions. If the vaccination drive did not meet the targeted recipients, herd immunity would not be created,” said the professor of UGM’s School of Pharmacy.

Indonesian Society of Respirology (PDPI) chairwoman Erlina Burhan added that vaccines were given to protect healthy people from a disease. As for Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine, the recipient must be a healthy 18-59 year-old, among other criteria, which is in line with the criteria for the vaccine recipients in the clinical trials.

KOMPAS/FAJAR RAMADHAN

Chairperson of the Indonesian Lung Doctors Association (PDPI) Working Group on Infection Erlina Burhan.

“The Sinovac vaccine cannot be given to people with comorbidities. However, there are exceptions for people with controlled comorbidities, such as hypertension. It is possible if their blood pressure before the vaccination stands at 140/90,” she said on Wednesday (13/1/2021).

Therefore, prior to vaccination, there are a number of basic medical tests, including body temperature and blood pressure tests, that must be carried out. The vaccination must be postponed for people with body temperature above 37.5 degree Celsius and blood pressure above 140/90.

Also read: Transmission Control Determines Vaccination Success

The United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consultant Elizabteh Jane Soepardi said that public trust in health workers was necessary to ensure the success of the vaccination drive.

“Of course, routine evaluation will also be carried after the vaccination. Hopefully people can be sure that the vaccines are safe. With the President being the first recipient [of the vaccine], it is expected that public trust will be increased,” she said.

Maintain discipline

Indonesia began its vaccination program on Wednesday (13/1), with President Jokowi being the first recipient of the vaccine. The program is expected to break the COVID-19 transmission chain. However, before herd immunity is established, people are asked to keep wearing masks, maintain safe physical distance and wash their hands frequently.

“I, along with a number of representatives from the health sector, religious figures, representatives of businessmen, labors, teachers and health workers, was just vaccinated,” the President said after getting injected with the COVID-19 vaccine by Prof. Abdul Muthalib, SpPD-KHOM at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

Also read: Local Governments Accelerate Preparation for Vaccination Officers

"This vaccination is important to break the chain of coronavirus infections and to give health protection to all of us, and safety and security for all Indonesians, as well as to help speed up the economic recovery," President Jokowi said.

SETPRES/LALILY RACHEV

President Joko Widodo shows his personal data before receiving the Covid-19 vaccine at the State Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (13/1/2021).

The President, however, still highlighted the importance of discipline in adhering to health protocols, namely mask wearing, handwashing and physical distancing, considering that the vaccination process will take a long time.

Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) chairman Daeng M. Faqih, as the second recipients of the vaccine, has urged for a halt in the polemic surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. Because, following a long clinical trials and research process, authorities, namely the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), has authorize the use of the vaccine. “It [the vaccine] was declared safe, effective, holy and halal last Monday,” Daeng said.

Also read: MUI: Sinovac\'s Covid-19 Vaccine is Halal

Therefore, it is hoped that the vaccination can establish herd immunity as soon as possible, as well as stopping the transmission of the virus. “Especially for doctors and health workers, if herd immunity is established, we will reduce the number of deaths of doctors and health workers, which now stands at more than 500 across Indonesia,” Daeng said.

Apart from the President and IDI chairman, the first vaccines were also injected to Indonesian Midwives Association secretary-general Ade Zubaedah, representative of nurses, Nur Fauzah, and representative of pharmacists, Lusy Noviani. The vaccines were also injected to Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and National Police chief Gen. Idham Aziz.

It [the vaccine] was declared safe, effective, holy and halal last Monday.

Religious leaders were also among the firsts to be vaccinated, including Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) secretary-general Amirsyah Tambunan , who represented Muhammadiyah, Rais Syuriah of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Ahmad Ishomuddin, Indonesian Communion of Churches’ (PGI) Ronal Tapilatu and Bishops Council of Indonesia’s (KWI) Agustinus Heri. Indonesian Hindu Religious Councils’ (PHDI) I Nyoman Suarthanu, Indonesian Buddhist Association’s (Permabudhi) Biku Nyana Suryanadi and Confucian Supreme Council of Indonesia’s (Matakin) Peter Lesmana were also present.

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Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin

Also vaccinated was celebrity Raffi Ahmad, who represented youth and millennial groups. Representatives of other organizations were also vaccinated, such as Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) chairwoman Unifah Rosyidi, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman Rosan P. Roeslani, who represented businessman, as well as representatives of labors and vegetable trader Agusini Novani and Narti, respectively.

Also vaccinated on Wednesday were Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, BPOM chairwoman Penny Lukito Kusumastuti and COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito.

Also read: Regional Administrations Await Technical Instructions from Central Govt

In the capital, Jakarta Health Agency has confirmed that it had received 120,040 doses of vaccine, which will first be allocated to 60,000 health workers. Meanwhile the Bogor municipality administration is ready to roll out its vaccination program in 64 health facilities, in which 9,160 doses of vaccines will be injected. In the initial stage of the program, Bogor deputy mayor Dedie A Rachim, along with nine other city officials will receive the vaccine today (14/1).

Ambon Mayor Richard Louhenapessy said 7,280 doses off Sinovac vaccine were received at the city’s drug storage center. As many as 3,640 health workers will be first prioritized. They will be shot twice at an interval of 14 days.

A total of 16,100 vaccine doses were distributed to two “red zone” cities in North Sulawesi, namely Manado and Tomohon on Wednesday (13/1). The vaccines were distributed immediately after the province received 8,760 doses, in addition to the 15,000 doses that had come a week before.

This article was translated by Camilia Adianti.