Vaccinations for Covid-19 Stalled

Two weeks after the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination program began, immunization coverage is still relatively low. Poor data and distribution problems are hampering the vaccination drive.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

A medical officer injects the Covid-19 vaccine into the recipient\'s arm, Wednesday (27/1/2021), at the Sario Health Center, Manado, North Sulawesi.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Poor data and distribution problems are hampering the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination program, which prioritizes healthcare workers. Population data needs to improve in order to increase the vaccination coverage.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in Jakarta on Wednesday (27/1/2021 that only 300,000 health workers had been inoculated, far below the 1.48 million people targeted for vaccination against Covid-19 in phase one of the program. In addition to the distribution issues, poor data on the recipients remains a major problem. "Lately, 58,000 people were inoculated per day," he said.

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On Wednesday morning (27/1), President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo received his second Covid-19 vaccine injection, along with a number of other officials. Covid-19 task force spokesperson Reisa Broto Asmoro said the vaccination would provide optimal protection only after 14-28 days of the second injection.

The President revealed that, two weeks after the Covid-19 vaccination program began, the coverage was still low. In fact, with about 30,000 vaccinators assigned at about 10,000 community health centers (Puskesmas) and 3,000 hospitals, it should be possible to administer the vaccine to between 900,000 and 1 million people per day. "It takes time and requires good field management," said the President.

BIRO PERS SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN/LUKAS

President Joko Widodo receives a second injection of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Central Courtyard of the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, January 27, 2021

Adib Khumaidi, the head of the mitigation team of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), said the online registration system through the Peduli Lindungi platform had hampered the registration process. "Finally, a manual registration system has been implemented at the health facilities (faskes), and that has started to run well," he said.

Adib noted that, apart from those working at public health facilities, many health workers who provide private services also needed to be vaccinated. They should get easier access to Covid-19 vaccines.

Also read: Vaccination Drive Requires Accurate Data

According to the dean of the School of Medicine at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, Hari Hendarto, in addition to doctors at public health facilities, there are many medical student undergoing internships, such as newly graduated doctors and interns assigned to remote areas, as well as doctors who are taking specialist education. "They are at a high risk of exposure and should be prioritized," he said.

Budi acknowledged that many health workers experienced difficulties registering, especially those who were yet to be registered with the Health Ministry. "Many health workers work in private clinics, and our database does not include them," he said.

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Budi then decided to give vaccines to all healthcare workers who have a registration certificate (STR) or document showing that they have obtained a certificate of competence from the government. "Don\'t make it too complicated. Those who have an STR, especially those with a license to practice, have the right to be vaccinated. At the same time, their data should be compiled, “he said.

KOMPAS/SUTTA DHARMASAPUTRA

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin

Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology head Amin Soebandrio noted that, apart from ensuring coverage targets, the quality of vaccines had to be maintained when injected. "Several vaccines are sensitive to temperature changes. The vaccines should not be exposed to high temperatures for too long. This is an obstacle in the delivery of the vaccine to rural areas, " he said.

The Covid-19 vaccination program in Indonesia is also hampered by rejection from some residents. According to the chief executive of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), Tulus Abadi, the level of distrust against the Covid-19 vaccine is quite high. A survey conducted by the Health Ministry and Unicef in September 2020 found that only two thirds of respondents were willing to receive the vaccine.

Also read: Ensure the Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

Budi explained that vaccination was the fourth-most important strategy to overcome a pandemic. "As recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the first thing that must be addressed is the health system and people’s behavior. Second is diagnostics, which includes testing, tracing and isolation. Then treatment, then vaccines, "he said.

According to the Covid-19 task force, an additional 11,948 positive cases were logged in Indonesia on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,024,298 cases. The number of daily deaths reached a record 387 people, bringing the total nationwide Covid-19 death toll to 28,855, the highest in Asia, according to WHO data. This high number indicates that the hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.

The Health Ministry’s data indicate that the national hospital bed occupancy rate has reached 63.66 percent. The hospital bed occupancy rate in 11 provinces is above the 60 percent limit stipulated by the WHO. In Jakarta, bed occupancy has reached 82 percent, in Banten 80 percent, in Yogyakarta 76 percent, in West Java 72 percent and in Bali 70 percent.

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The director general of health services at the Health Ministry, Abdul Kadir, said the number of active Covid-19 cases was 164,113 people and noted that about 20 percent of patients had to be hospitalized. "This must be anticipated by adding more beds," he said.

Situation in the regions

According to observation by the Kompas team, vaccination in a number of areas has been running slowly due to poor databases and distribution constraints. In Pontianak city, West Kalimantan, registration is carried out manually because the only registration system is so slow. "With the manual system, the registration is faster," the head of the Pontianak Health Office, Sidiq Handanu, said.

In Maluku, three regencies have started the vaccination program, namely Tanimbar Islands, West Seram and Aru Islands. The vaccine is distributed through Puskesmas on various islands. High waves also threaten the distribution of the vaccine.

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According to the vaccination data of the Central Java Health Office as of 27 Jan at noon, actual inoculation in 12 regions has not even reached 50 percent of the target. The three regions with the lowest achievement are Brebes with 0.13 percent, Pekalongan regency with 19.22 percent and Tegal City with 33.29 percent.

In the province of Aceh, the Covid-19 vaccination has only been carried out in Banda Aceh City and Aceh Besar regency. Meanwhile, the other 21 regencies will begin the vaccination in February 2021.

Chatib Basri, a senior economist and the country’s finance minister during the 2013-2014 period, warned that there would be no economic recovery unless the health crisis was overcome. The key to economic recovery was mobility, so that household and business activity could return to normal. Mitigation efforts to control Covid-19 would also affect the long-term economic recovery. (BRO / ESA / FRN / COK / AIN / XT I / RTG / GIO / VAN / AIK / TAN / IN A / KRN)

The article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.