[Updated at 11:54 p.m. on Sunday, Feb 7, 2021, to add vaccination data]
Jakarta. Indonesia will launch the Covid-19 vaccine on people aged 60 or older on Monday after the country’s drug regulatory authority cleared the CoronaVac, manufactured by Chinese Sinovac Biotech, for emergency use among the elderly.
There are currently more than 29 million doses of Sinovac vaccine in Indonesia. The country has given more than 784,000 first-dose vaccines to medical workers since Jan. 13 and aimed to complete the vaccination of 1.63 million medical workers by the end of this month.
Previously, the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) only allowed CoronaVac to vaccinate people aged 18 to 59. As they obtained more data from third-level clinical trials abroad, the group was ensure that an emergency use permit (EUA) is issued for the vaccine. for use on people aged 60 and over.
“Thankfully, BPOM has been ousted [CoronaVac] for people over 60, ”Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a keynote news conference on Sunday.
“So, tomorrow at 09:00 am, injections for people over 60 will start,” Budi said.
The minister said the government would give priority to former medical workers who could not have been vaccinated before or who did not catch Covid-19. “Vaccinations for non-medical workers would also run at the same time as we tidy up the data,” Budi said.
The earlier designation for CoronaVac confirmed Indonesia’s vaccination strategy. The country first chose to vaccinate its medical staff, instead of the elderly like other countries. The clinical trial results of the then immunized vaccine were only available for the 10-59 year old age group.
BPOM Chief Executive Officer Penny K. Lukito said phase I and II clinical trials in China show the vaccine was safe for elderly patients without major side effects.
However, Penny said the country needs to move close to vaccinating for elderly people with extreme care. People in the age group would often have a pre-existing disease such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
“The screening process is crucial before deciding on vaccines for older people. Risk management must be carried out in accordance with potential AEFI [adverse effects following immunization], “she said.
Budi said vaccination for the elderly would mean Indonesia could soon reduce the burden on the country’s hospitals. Data from the Ministry of Health on Sunday showed that six districts, including Jakarta and North Kalimantan, have filled their ICU beds up to more than 85 percent capacity, already at an alarming rate by ministry.
On the other hand, most seniors needed ICUs the most when they received Covid-19, which is fatal to them more often than not. Budi said the elderly make up only 10 percent of the more than 1.1 million people in Indonesia infected with Covid-19 to date. However, 47.3 percent of them did not survive.
“We hope that with the vaccine, we can [rate of infections] among the most vulnerable group. So we could reduce the burden on hospitals and the burden on the medical staff, “Budi said.
Indonesia reported about 10,827 new Covid-19 cases, 163 deaths, and 10,806 recoveries on Sunday. The seven-day average of new cases has declined in the past week to 11,360 on Sunday, from 12,722 a week ago.