TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government’s expert team coordinator and COVID-19 handling spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said COVID-19 vaccination was aimed at protecting society from the COVID-19 infection threats.

“Those vaccinated are healthy people, that is why there will be preliminary health inspections and after the vaccination the body will react by forming immunity,” he said in a virtual press conference aired from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Media Centre at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Building in Jakarta, Monday, October 19, 2020.

He explained the COVID-19 vaccination would be administered in stages to healthy people based on whether they had a high risk of COVID-19 infection, such as medical workers.

“The vaccination will be given to healthy people so as to give them protection and, of course, those vaccinated are the ones who have high risks of infection. That is why they will be vaccinated first,” he said.

Wiku explained the results of clinical trials were necessary to determine how long the vaccine was capable of protecting the body.

“Each disease has its own characteristics, whether it is a virus or a bacterium, so the reaction of the vaccines will also vary, depending on the interaction between the disease and the antibody in human body. There are those who are short-term, long-term, or even tens of years. As for COVID-19, we shall have to wait for the results of clinical trials," he said.

The government has decided that target recipients of the future COVID-19 vaccine amounted to 160 million people and 320 million doses of vaccine are required to do so.

Read: Jokowi Calls for Better Public Communication for Future COVID-19 Vaccination

ANTARA