VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vaccination to Commence Soon - Editorial

The new hope toget rid of the Covid-19 pandemic is open wide, following the vaccine readiness. Since the end of December 2020, some countries have begun the vaccination. In December 2020, Indonesia had three million doses from China. Indonesia also had ordered vaccines from other producers. In the first stage or mid-January, Indonesia will start the vaccination for medical workers, doctors, and security personnel as the front-liners. Then, the younger and elderly citizens will be given at the end of January.

About the vaccine, President Joko Widodo in a closed meeting on Wednesday (6/1) said that the government has prepared more than 329.5 million vaccine doses from various producers. The first vaccine from Sinovac will be injected to President Joko Widodo on January 13 2021. Being the first to be vaccinated, President Joko WIdodo hoped to give spirit to the people across the country.

Meanwhile, Head of Foods and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM), Penny K Lukito ensured the Sinovac's vaccine is safe. BPOM also guaranteed the quality of the vaccine. Because the raw materials, the manufacturing process to the finished product have been evaluated according to international standards in China.

Although the third phase of the clinical test is not completed, vaccines have given a sense of security and comfort for Indonesians. Moreover in some countries, vaccination has begun.

The plan to provide vaccination for both the young and elderly is appreciated. It is because other countries prioritize the vaccine for the elderly only. According to health experts of Australia and Singapore, Indonesia's plan must be a good reference in the future.

Thruly, the government of Indonesia will not be reckless in implementing the vaccination scenario without careful thought.It also points to the results of the third phase clinical trial to be issued this week.In addition, the first vaccination to be injected to President Joko Widodo is a positive response to give confidence in the safety of the vaccines.However, according to WHO guidelines, there must be a pause between 21-28 days to have used the vaccine, especially for Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine products.This is carried out after many countries had found difficulty of vaccinationagainst the Covid-19 virus, following the discovery of a new variant of the virus that is more easily spread.