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BPOM approves Sinovac vaccine for minors aged 6 to 11
“Children aged 6-17 years can now get vaccinated. We are still trying to get more complete data for children under 6, because children at this age require more caution,” BPOM head Penny Lukito said in a press briefing on Monday.
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A senior high school student receives a shot of the Sinovac COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at a school in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, on Aug. 30, 2021. (AFP/Azwar Ipank)
T
he Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has approved emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Coronavac COVID-19 vaccine, coproduced by China’s Sinovac Biotech and state-owned pharmaceuticals giant Biofarma, for children between 6 and 11 years old.
BPOM head Penny Lukito confirmed the news in a virtual press briefing on Monday. “Children aged 6-17 years can now get vaccinated. We are still trying to get more complete data for children under 6, because children at this age require more caution,” she told reporters.
The decision was based on the agency’s clinical trial results involving 550 children between 6 and 11, which showed that the vaccine provided immunogenicity for 96 percent of the recipient pool and offered similar efficacy scores to previous trials for children over 12 years old.
Coronavac was the first registered vaccine that could be used for minors aged 6 and older, Penny said, while hoping that other vaccines would soon get the green light as well, especially since at-school learning had commenced and community activity restrictions are gradually being lifted.
The BPOM had previously announced plans to authorize two other vaccines for minors, namely those from Sinopharm and United States-based Pfizer, also pending trial results.
Separately, Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) chairperson Piprim Basarah Yanuarso welcomed the BPOM’s approval of the Sinovac vaccine, considering the high COVID-19 death rate among Indonesian children.
He said that child vaccinations were capable of preventing transmission, as most children are asymptomatic and may unknowingly infect other vulnerable groups like the elderly.
