TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government plans to rollout boosters to the public starting January 12, one week from today. There will be free and paid boosters, depending on who the recipient is.

The vaccine boosters will be given to people age 18 and above who had received their second jabs at least six months prior. So far, there are some 21 million people who had received full doses.

The booster rollout will be divided into two categories: PBI (free) and non-PBI (paid). The assistance beneficiary (PBI) group of BPJS Kesehatan will get free boosters. Based on the Social Affairs Ministry's data, as of September 15, 2021 there were more than 87.05 million of BPJS Kesehatan's PBI participants.

Outside of the PBI, individuals who wish to receive a booster vaccine must pay. The government has not set the tariffs, but in a meeting with the House of Representatives in December, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin estimated a cost of around Rp300,000.

For the types/brands of vaccine used as boosters, the government is still waiting for the results of the study and recommendations from the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI).

According to Minister Budi, the government is interested in with recommendations from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both are recommending half a dose of Moderna as a booster.

Assuming it would be possible to use half doses of Moderna and Pfizer, Budi said there is enough stock for now for free boosters.

Read: Govt to Use BPJS Kesehatan Data for Free Covid-19 Vaccination

DEWI NURITA