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Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan (right), and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the 2021 Health Business Gathering event in Nusa Dua, Badung district, Bali, on Friday (December 3, 2021) - 

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has confirmed that COVID-19 booster vaccines will be offered simultaneously in all Indonesian provinces from January 2022.

"We will not designate priority provinces for the booster vaccine as we will offer the vaccine simultaneously in all provinces," the coordinating minister said after opening the 2021 Health Business Gathering event in Nusa Dua, Badung District, Bali, on Friday.

The COVID-19 booster vaccines will be offered free of cost to eligible residents, and other residents will need to purchase them, he informed.

"We will facilitate around 100 million low-income residents with free booster vaccine doses, and other residents who are not included in the benefit recipients list can purchase the booster dose on their own," Pandjaitan said while adding that he will pay for his booster shot.

The Health Ministry is yet to determine the price of the booster vaccine for residents not included on the recipient list, he added.

"We suggest everyone get their COVID-19 booster vaccine jab," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed the booster dose will be affordable and that its price would not exceed Rp300 thousand (around US$21).

"We will first offer the booster vaccine to residents in the same age range as Mr. Pandjaitan (currently 74 years old)," Sadikin said.

At the same event, Bali Province's Health Office head Ketut Suarjaya expressed the hope that residents not included on the recipient list would purchase the booster vaccine on their own.

"The free booster vaccine would be offered to those who received the BPJS Kesehatan benefit, which would mainly target low-income residents. Despite the planned arrangement, we are currently waiting for the technical instruction before determining our next step," the health office head said.

According to Suarjaya, based on the technical instruction from the central authority, the provincial health office will prioritize regions or population groups for the booster vaccine jab in Bali//ANT