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Govt mulls more targeted COVID-19 vaccinations amid rollout slump, budget cuts
The government mulls winding down its mass vaccination drive after the 2023 COVID-19 budget was slashed, but experts insist any fixes should strive for the global target to protect 70 percent of the national population.
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Third jab: A health worker administers a COVID-19 booster vaccine in the Blok M area in South Jakarta on Aug. 14. Over 58.8 million people of Indonesia's 234.6 million targeted have received a booster shot so far. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
T
he government has plans to shift away from its mass vaccination strategy by the year’s end in favor of a more individually-targeted immunization to deal with future COVID-19 case spikes, amid stagnant vaccine coverage and a reduced pandemic mitigation budget in 2023.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced this week that authorities would strive to keep coronavirus antibody levels steady by prioritizing individual vaccinations based on age, health status and last shot administered, as immunity from the virus starts to wane after six months.
The strategy was made in anticipation of the emergence of new foreign variants of the virus by early next year, partly due to soaring COVID-19 cases in countries like Japan.
Read also: Japan reports over 250,000 new COVID-19 cases for 3rd straight day
“With the massive amount of personal vaccination data the ministry has amassed throughout the pandemic, it is now possible for the government to fine-tune coverage depending on individual needs,” Budi said.
While the ministry keeps records of the vaccine recipient's name, age and address, an individual’s personal health condition, especially as it relates to underlying health symptoms, can be checked in the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) database.
“Going forward, it will no longer be about getting a first, second or third booster shot, but rather be based on when each person got their last vaccine. Along with their age group and comorbid status, that is how we will prioritize,” Budi added during a press briefing on Tuesday.
