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Health workers roll up sleeves for fourth vaccine dose
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Boosted: A local resident receives an AstraZeneca booster vaccine during a mass inoculation program organized by the Semarang, Central Java, Police in the Simpang Lima area in this file photo. (Antara/Aji Styawan)
T
he government has begun offering fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the country's 4 million health workers to provide additional protection against Omicron subvariants that have been responsible for driving up daily caseloads over the past couple of weeks.
Medical workers received their third shots in August of last year – earlier than other eligible groups – and some research has suggested that immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccines wanes six months after administration.
Indonesia started to see a spike in coronavirus cases in early June, following the discovery of three new fast-spreading Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.4 and BA.2.75 in the country.
Two doctors had died during the ongoing fourth wave of infections despite the perceived mild symptoms of the three subvariants, Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said.
The ministry issued last week a circular allowing the use of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines as the second booster for health workers, marking the launch of the program.
Health professionals can get half a dose or a full dose of the five vaccines depending on the type of vaccines they received for their third dose.
Read also: COVID-19 cases spike as fourth wave takes hold
