IDI: Herd Immunity Won't Be Achieved If People Reject Covid-19 Vaccination
Translator
Dewi Elvia Muthiariny
Editor
Laila Afifa
Kamis, 14 Januari 2021 08:55 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) spokesperson Erlina Burhan asserted that one of the goals of Covid-19 vaccination is to achieve herd immunity.
“This can happen if 70 percent of the Indonesian people are vaccinated, so it can protect the other 30 percent who cannot get the shot or are vulnerable,” Erlina said in a written statement on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
The lung specialist from the University of Indonesia added that herd immunity would not be achieved if many people refused vaccination. If so, she said, virus transmission would continue.
Erlina emphasized the safety of the vaccine produced by Sinovac as it obtained an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM). Its efficacy rate also reached 65.3 percent, higher than the World Health Organization or WHO's recommendation of 50 percent.
Besides, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) had declared the halal status of the vaccine. “So there is no more reason for us to refuse this vaccine,” Erlina underlined.
The Indonesian government kicked off the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination program on Wednesday, Jan. 13. President Jokowi became the first person to receive the Sinovac vaccine.
Read: Govt Explains National Covid-19 Vaccination Plan
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