Health Ministry to Kickstart Booster Shots on January 12

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is set to introduce booster vaccine programs for the general public starting on January 12, 2022. Those qualified for this will be people aged over 18, which adheres to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation. 

“The [booster shots] will be given in the long term or above six months from the second dose. We identify around 21 million people who qualified for this,” said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in a press conference at the Presidential Palace on Monday, January 3.

Regions that have logged over 70 percent vaccination rate for the first dose and 60 percent for second dose recipients are qualified to conduct the booster jab program. By this requirement, the Minister said 244 regencies and cities in Indonesia qualify.

The mechanism for the booster vaccine shots will be separated into two groups, community groups who qualify as recipients for BPJS Healthcare PBI policyholders, whose funds will be sourced from the State Budget. The second group is people who are financially qualified to pay for their own booster vaccines. 

In a meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives in early December, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government had prepared a budget to purchase 21.5 million doses of vaccine for the elderly group and 78.7 doses for contribution assistance recipients (non-elderly). He estimates that the booster vaccination will cost around Rp300,000.

Read: Health Ministry Prepares Booster, Children Vaccinations in 2022

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