Indonesia plans to give working-age adults the COVID-19 vaccine before the elderly receive the shots in an effort to quickly achieve herd immunity.
The Indonesian Minister of Health estimated that about 181.5 million people, or 67% of the population, should be shot to get the herd’s immunity.
The country, which uses China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine, also says it does not yet have enough data on how the shot affects the elderly because clinical trials have been conducted on people aged 18-59. Indonesia also hopes to receive Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines soon.
The country’s approach is very different from the U.S., which prioritizes health care workers and the elderly with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Dale Fisher, a professor at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at Singapore National University, said he believes both approaches could work.
“Younger working adults are generally more active, more social, and travel more, so this strategy should decrease community transmission faster than vaccinating older people,” Fisher told Reuters.
“Of course, the elderly are at higher risk of serious illness and death, so vaccinating them has an alternative reason. I see merit in both strategies.
With publishing cables