Unpad's Sinovac Researchers Say Sinovac May Require 3rd Shot as Booster

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of researchers for the Covid-19 vaccine by Sinovac from Padjadjaran's University (Unpad) Faculty of Medicine is compiling a final report on clinical trials in Bandung. They plan to submit the report to the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) through PT Bio Farma as the research sponsor in mid-June.

"[From] the result, it seems that further researches are needed to determine the persistent antibody and booster," the research team's manager Eddy Fadlyana said on Wednesday, 9 June.

A booster is a third dose of Sinovac's inactivated vaccine to boost the antibody against the new coronavirus. "For efficacy, there might be a decrease, as the antibody response also decreases on its own. Therefore a booster is required," Eddy said.

The latest research by the vaccine producer in China, Eddy said, said that a third shot is advised. "The trial showed that the antibody response increases by tenfold," he said.

The research team in Bandung is preparing to conduct a similar trial. As requested by the WHO, the team will do a follow-up research for six months starting after the volunteers in the follow-up clinical trials get their second doses.

The research plan is currently awaiting approval from BPOM and the Unpad Ethics Committee, after the final report of the first nine-month clinical trial is submitted this month.

The final report, Eddy said, will also be used to seek permission for the permanent use of the Sinovac vaccine in Indonesia. So far, the BPOM had only issued permits for emergency use, which was on January 11 this year.

Read: Erick Thohir Receives Eight Million Doses of Sinovac Vaccine

Anwar Siswadi (Contributor)