VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 17 - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin praised Vice President Ma'ruf Amin for becoming a good example for the country's elderly to receive the COVID-19 vaccine jab.

"Hence, the vice president has set a very good example for the elderly in Indonesia. Hopefully, our seniors in Indonesia would emulate this," Sadikin stated after accompanying Vice President Amin while receiving the first vaccine shot here on Wednesday.

The minister also expressed gratitude since Amin was willing to be injected the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinovac, China.

Sadikin believes that vaccinating the elderly can help to achieve the target of developing herd immunity in Indonesia.

"I, as part of the government, would like to once again thank you since this vaccination is not only to protect us but also our families, neighbors, all Indonesian people, and humanity in the world," he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Amin reportedly experienced no side-effects after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine injection.

The vice president also invited other elderly to come forward to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

Head of the COVID-19 Task Force, Doni Monardo, who accompanied the vice president, stated that vaccinating the elderly was one of the strategic programs in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monardo pointed out that the elderly are a group vulnerable to being infected with COVID-19 after the group of healthcare workers.

"Hence, giving vaccines to the elderly is offering health protection to the elderly group; and the vice president is one among those of the elderly group aged over 70 years," he stated.

Vice President Amin was administered China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday at around 8:30 a.m. local time.

A recommendation was earlier awaited from the Presidential Medical Team over the COVID-19 vaccine shot for the 77-year-old vice president on account of his health since he had comorbidity.

The Food and Drug Control Administration (BPOM) has issued the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine, Coronavac, to the group of people aged 60 years and above in Indonesia.

The BPOM issued the permit on February 5, with two doses of each injection and each dose administered at an interval of 28 days.

According to BPOM Head Penny Lukito, the emergency use permit is based on the results of monitoring for phase I and II of the clinical trial processes in China for administering vaccine to residents over 60 years of age.

Results of the clinical trial in China involving 400 elderly that were administered the Coronavac vaccine injection indicated an immunity level of up to 97.96 percent following the second injection.

The BPOM also took into account the results of the Phase III clinical trial in Brazil that showed the vaccine shots administered to 609 elderly generally led to mild side-effects: pain, nausea, fever, swelling, skin redness, and headaches. (Antaranews)

Feb. 17 - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin pointed to a downward trend in the number of daily positive confirmed cases and treatment of COVID-19 patients at hospitals since the past fortnight.

In a press statement monitored online in Jakarta, Wednesday, the health minister confirmed that the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia had begun to decline, as was apparent from the decreasing trend in daily positive cases of COVID-19 also reflected in the decreasing trend in the care of COVID-19 patients at hospitals.

"We double check with the data at the hospital to ensure the decline in confirmed cases has actually occurred or because the number of tests has decreased. We can see that the number of patients at the hospital has fallen consistently in two weeks," Sadikin stated.

The minister noted that the number of new patients for treatment at the hospital had also dipped in the past two weeks.

Sadikin clarified that a decline in the number of daily positive COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was not owing to a decrease in the number of tests as compared to the regular days, but rather that the peak had passed and the number of cases had begun to decline.

The minister dismissed the claims of various groups that attributed the decrease in COVID-19 cases to a decline in the number of tests being conducted.

The health minister pointed to a consistent decline in the number of tests during the national holidays and on weekends.

Sadikin stated that a recent drop in the number of tests was owing to the long Chinese New Year holidays.

Meanwhile, the health minister revealed that a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was not the result of vaccinations being conducted.

Sadikin gauged that the number of cases in the last two weeks had declined as the peak transmission of COVID-19 cases, caused by high mobility during the Christmas and New Year holidays, has passed.

"Every time there is a long holiday and high human mobility, there will be an increase of 30 to 40 percent in the number of confirmed cases. After this rise, this virus will die on its own in 14 days, so the number of cases drop after the Christmas and New Year holidays have passed," the minister stated.

Sadikin cited the implementation of micro-scale Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) by the government since early January of 2021 as another reason behind a decline in the number of cases.

"The decline has occurred in the number of confirmed cases and the reduction in hospital care based on fundamentals. The peak transmission of COVID-19 cases caused by high mobility during the Christmas and New Year holidays has passed. The implementation of PPKM has had an impact on the community, thereby reducing the rate of transmission. With this data, it is clear that there is a trend of decreasing confirmed cases and decreasing hospital care," the minister remarked.  (Antaranews)

Feb. 17 - Based on information passed on from the Health Ministry's Secretary General Oscar Primadi to Youth and Sports Ministry's Secretary Gatot S. Dewa Broto, priority athletes will be administered vaccine shots this week.

"Yesterday morning, we received a call from Mr Oscar, the secretary general of the Ministry of Health. God willing, this week, the Ministry of Health is ready to vaccinate the athletes proposed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. It is ready this week," Broto stated here on Tuesday.

Athletes of 17 sports disciplines -- badminton, weightlifting, archery, swimming, pencak silat, tennis, karate, taekwondo, judo, wushu, volleyball, shooting, gymnastics, chess, rowing, bowling, and surfing -- are categorized as priority recipients of the COVID-19 vaccines.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has proposed 1,500 names, including of athletes, coaches, and officials from those 17 sports disciplines as well as the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) to be accorded priority for the COVID-19 vaccination from the government.

However, Broto pointed out that the vaccination process will not be held simultaneously in a bid to avoid crowds. Vaccines will be administered in stages and can be conducted in their respective domiciles akin to the protocol followed for health workers.

For Jakarta, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is preparing the Cibubur National Sports Hospital (RSON) as a venue for vaccination and also at the national training centers for each sports branch.

In terms of the technicalities, the Youth and Sports Ministry will hold a meeting with the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. Members of the board of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) are also invited to the meeting as badminton athletes will be candidates for the first phase of the vaccination program. (Antaranews)

Feb. 17 - Japan launched its COVID-19 inoculation drive on Wednesday by administering Pfizer Inc’s vaccine shots to Tokyo hospital workers, TV footage showed, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aims to defy the odds and hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

After vaccinating the initial group of 40,000 medical workers, Japan plans to move to the remaining 3.7 million medical personnel who come into contact with COVID-19 patients, and then to the 36 million people aged 65 or above. (Reuters)