VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A number of European countries reported new records related to additional Covid-19 cases on Wednesday (24/11). They are also preparing to carry out a limited lockdown and considering booster vaccine injections for residents aged 40 years and over. According to Channel News Asia, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Hungary all reported new highs in daily infections.

The spike came as winter hit Europe and people gathered indoors ahead of Christmas. Germany saw its highest new daily case addition earlier this November, touching nearly 34 thousand. The Czech Republic for the first time reported additional Covid-19 cases above 25,000, the Netherlands more than 23,700 while Hungary around 12,600.

Amid a surge in cases, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), recommends a booster vaccine for all adults. Priority is given to those over the age of 40. This will be a change from previous guidelines which suggested additional doses be considered, especially for those who are vulnerable, such as the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.

Then, the question is what about countries whose vaccine coverage has not been comprehensive and complete? The World Health Organization -WHO is actually more emphasizing on global vaccination than providing for a third vaccine alias booster. The fact is that there are many countries in the world whose citizens have not been vaccinated, even for the first dose. However, the spike in cases is due to  the development of new variants, and the attitude of people in developed countries, such as in Europe, who began to ignore health protocols, made booster administration necessary.

The booster is expected to enhance protection and prevent additional hospitalizations and deaths in December and January 2022.

Indonesia, with a population of more than 270 million people, has managed to overcome the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in the middle of this year. The daily number of new cases on Thursday (25/11) was 372, far below Europe. However, Indonesia must not be careless because the spike could happen again at any time, especially related to the Christmas and New Year holidays. Therefore, the government plans to start giving booster vaccines early next year after a series of clinical trials.