TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The role of vaccines is to train the immune systems of the human’s body, yet it will not make someone be 100 percent immune to Covid-19. However, Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Vaccination of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated that all vaccine provides effective protection for Covid-19 patients from the risk of death.

"The vaccination reduces the risk of serious illness symptoms and also the death rate and can also provide protection because the vaccine works to train the immune system," said Siti Nadia.

Based on the data of COVID-19 patients in hospitals in the May-July 2021 period, the vaccine has protective effects towards the patients up to 73 percent risk of deaths compared to ones who have not received the full dose.

"If Covid-19 patients who previously received the first dose, 90 percent recovered and of the 96 percent who received the complete dose of vaccine, 100 percent recovered. Those who had not been vaccinated at all were only 84 percent who recovered," she said.

Nadia said the vaccines currently available are still very effective against all variants or mutations of the coronavirus, including the Delta variant, which has caused a spike in cases in the last three weeks in Indonesia.

"So, until now there is no scientific evidence or medical journals that say certain types of vaccines are no longer effective against Covid-19," she said.

One medical journal in the UK said two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were still effective in preventing the risk of hospitalization due to the Delta variant.

"That's specific, even for the variant it can be up to 92 percent, even there are no deaths of those vaccinated with AstraZeneca," he explained.

According to Nadia, reports from several hospitals also said that with two complete doses of Sinovac vaccine, it could reduce the rate of virus transmission by up to 94 percent, prevent hospitalization by 96 percent, and avoid death by 98 percent.

"This vaccine is still very effective in providing protection, including against the Delta variant which is more contagious and can increase in severity," he explained.

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YAYUK WIDIYARTI | MAUDEY K. SETYAKUSUMA