Covid-19 Vaccination for Elderly Begins Today
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8 February 2021 07:40 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government was set to kick off the Covid-19 vaccination program for elderly people today, February 8, 2021.
“InshaAllah (If God permits), it will start at 9 a.m.,” said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Sunday, February 7.
The inoculation program was scheduled today after the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) issued an emergency use authorization for the Sinovac vaccine.
According to Budi, the priority target of the program remained to be health workers aged over 60 since they were more vulnerable to the coronavirus disease.
Budi said that injecting the vaccine into the elderly was the government’s second priority, after health workers. This was because they were at a higher risk of experiencing fatal effects due to the virus.
He presented data that of the total number of people who tested positive, 10 percent were elderly. Of that number, nearly half died. “It proves that the elderly are at high risk,” Budi remarked.
The Health Minister hoped that Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly would reduce the number of patients who need to be hospitalized because of worsening conditions. Thus, the hospital workload could be minimized.
Also Read: 2 Provinces See Declining Cases after Covid-19 Vaccination: Health Minister
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