Indonesia plans to vaccinate its young working-age population against coronavirus before the elderly, in contrast to much of the world that plans to put its vulnerable seniors first.
The first Southeast Asian country to receive Covid-19 vaccines will focus on inoculation for 18- to 59-year-olds, starting with those working on the front line of the pandemic, such as health workers. , police and army. The UK last week launched the first vaccination program in the Western world with a 91-year-old woman, in line with most other countries.
Workers unload the Covid-19 vaccines at Jakarta International Airport in Tangerang on December 6.
Source: Presidential Palace of Indonesia / AFP / Getty Images
The United States also began its vaccination program with the elderly this week, following their advice from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health care workers and residents of nursing homes should receive first shots, followed by those with pre-existing medical conditions.
Covid-19 vaccine follower in Southeast Asia: who will get what, when
As the death toll from the pandemic continues to rise, governments are wondering who should first get the many vaccines companies are rushing through approvals. While Indonesia’s strategy is currently differing, it may point to how other developing nations might consider their own deployment given their struggle to get enough doses to cover their population.
“Our goal is herd immunity,” said Amin Soebandrio, director of the Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology in Jakarta. “With the most active and exposed population group, between the ages of 18 and 59, vaccinated, they form a fortress to protect other groups. It is less effective when we use our limited number of vaccines for the elderly when they are less exposed. ”
Immunizing workers
Indonesia targets people with more mobility due to their work, as well as the regions with the highest number of coronavirus cases, as it focuses on using the vaccine as a tool to curb the spread of infections.
Health workers in the islands of Java and Bali, which account for more than 60% of confirmed cases, will receive 1.2 million doses from China The Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine, which arrived on December 6, will be followed by front-line workers from the rest of the country.
A release date will be set when the country’s drug regulator approves.
Why make one Covid The vaccine is just the first hurdle: QuickTake
The government has set a target of 246 million doses to reach the calculation of herd immunity: the number of vaccines needed to vaccinate 107 million people, or 67% of the target group of 18 to 59 years and only 40% of the entire population. This is considerably lower than generally accepted definition of mass immunity, which includes 60% -72% of the entire population of a country.
This government goal will meet 155.5 million doses ordered from Sinovac and Novavax Inc., with another 116 million potential orders from Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca Plc and the installation of Covax. It also seeks to develop its own traits, called Merah Putih according to the colors of the nation’s flag, in an attempt to complement its offering.
Other experts view Jakarta’s vaccination plan with caution.
Coronavirus test announcement in Bandung, West Java, December 10th.
Photographer: Dimas Ardian / Bloomberg
“Indonesia has a young population, so this may have influenced their thinking, but I think vaccinating the elderly makes sense,” said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosafety at the University of New Wales. South. “In the end, though, with a limited supply of vaccines, the difference between age-based strategies isn’t big.”
Difficult options
The country with the fourth largest population in the world places the elderly, people with existing health problems and pregnant women behind the line, because it does not have the necessary data to ensure the safety of vaccines against Covid-19. groups, Terawan Health Minister Agus Putranto said on Dec. 10. Sinovac’s shots were tested on people aged 18 to 59, which is why the government is wary of inoculating people of different age groups.
A day after the UK began distributing the Pfizer vaccine, its National Health Service had to issue a warning that people with a significant history of allergies should not receive the shots after two people experienced reactions.
“The issue is a matter of suffering,” said Djohansjah Marzoeki, chairman of the Indonesian Forum on Bioethics. “Whoever has severe symptoms or dies from the virus and whoever has only minor effects and recovers on their own, that’s why we have to decide who should be vaccinated first.”
As in other countries, the elderly account for the majority of deaths from Covid-19 in Indonesia. Those aged 60 and over accounted for 39% of the country’s 19,111 fatalities, while 36% were aged 46 to 59.
Finally, the decision on who to vaccinate comes down to how many shots a country can get quickly.
“Developed nations can start with the elderly knowing that they have enough doses to cover the entire population, where that may not be our case,” said CB Kusmaryanto, a member of Indonesia’s bioethics commission. “Our decisions are extremely less bad; There are no good options, only the least bad. When Indonesia only has enough to vaccinate those most likely to infect others, it is who it should go to first. ”