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Indonesia starts booster shot rollout amid lingering equity concerns
The government will start administering COVID-19 booster shots for free on Wednesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said, in an effort to strengthen the population’s immunity to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
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A child receives the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at an elementary school in Jakarta on Dec. 15, 2021, as part of a government program to vaccinate children aged 6 to 11.
(AFP/Adek Berry)
T
he government will start administering COVID-19 booster shots for free on Wednesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said, in an effort to strengthen the population’s immunity in response to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The rollout comes amid concerns that providing an additional vaccine dose to fully vaccinated people could exacerbate vaccine inequity across the country, as a large portion of the targeted population has yet to receive their second shot or even first shot.
Jokowi said on Tuesday that the booster was needed to protect the population against COVID-19 as SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – continues to mutate.
“[Booster shots] are crucial to increase the public’s immunity [against the coronavirus], especially considering that the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate,” Jokowi said, adding that “the public’s safety is of the highest priority” for the government.
He said people aged 18 and older and who have had their second vaccine dose at least six months ago were eligible to receive a booster shot. However, he went on to add, the government would first prioritize booster shots for the elderly and immunocompromised people.
Read also: Govt confident in Omicron response, urges discipline
The President’s statement marked a shift in the government’s initial scheme for booster shots, which previously consisted of free shots, particularly for the elderly and fully subsidized holders of the national health insurance (JKN) program, and paid doses for the rest of the public.
