Vaccine Booster Not Urgent in Indonesia, Says Epidemiologist
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23 December 2021 19:03 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia, said that generally Indonesian people do not need a vaccine booster. The country, he opined, is still quite reliable in dealing with COVID-19 spread until next year.
“The biggest impact of vaccination is no spike [of Covid-19 cases] until now. A booster shot is not even urgent,” said Pandu in an online discussion with the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), Thursday, December 23.
According to him, the two doses of the vaccine received by the public were sufficient to prevent severe symptoms due to infections of COVID-19 and its variants. Vaccination also prevents the virus from spreading further.
Pandu explained this was evident from none report of the surge in cases from August until December after the significant spike in infections last July caused by the Delta variant which was in line with the increase in vaccination.
Referring to the serological survey conducted by the Jakarta government, Pandu further reiterated that the COVID-19 vaccine has succeeded in establishing public immunity to 70 percent in Indonesia. The immunity also increased in people who have been infected with the coronavirus.
Read: 108 Million Indonesians Already Vaccinated against COVID-19
FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA
