Indonesia to launch a promotional campaign, but many will pay | Coronavirus Plague News

Medan, Indonesia – Indonesia officially launches its vaccination program on Wednesday, with free jabs for the elderly and those without affordable means, according to the Ministry of Health.

But the idea of ​​having 270 million Indonesians pay for these items in their pockets has provoked controversy.

“Why did the government suddenly come up with such an idea? If it is because the government is concerned about the decline in antibodies, then it is better because it is related to the epidemic, “Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Indonesia, told Al Jazeera.

“But if it is related to the epidemic, then the vaccine should be free.”

The government has not yet determined how much the vaccine will cost, although comparisons have been made online using data from the UNICEF Vaccine Market Dashboard, which cites vaccine prices in various countries.

Possible prices range from $ 2.75 per AstraZeneca shot to $ 23 per Pfizer booster.

“There are estimates that the vaccine should be around 300,000 Indonesian rupiah ($ 21) but in practice, it could cost a lot of money in a private hospital to raise the price to 1 or 2 million ($ 70-140) per shot,” he said. Alexander Arifianto, a researcher at the Indonesia Program at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore told Al Jazeera.

“Pricing prices increases the risk of vaccination. The more expensive it is, the more people are reluctant to take it.”

Vaccination resistance

The Indonesian vaccination system has been plagued by problems, including lazy production and vaccination issues.

An estimated 117 million Indonesians have been vaccinated out of over 270 million people since the campaign began on January 13 last year.

Many people have been offered a Sinovac vaccine made in China after Indonesia participated in a long-term manufacturer trial.

There are also big ones differences in the spread of the vaccine between different parts of the islands.

People in Jakarta and Bali have enough vaccines, while areas such as Aceh and West Papua have been able to vaccinate about 20 percent of the population, according to the Ministry of Health.

“I am not sure if the paid immunization program will help Indonesia reach more people. It is less than 50 percent of [all] “Once the Indonesian people are vaccinated, the government should encourage other people to get vaccinated first,” Arifianto said.

With so many people waiting for the first major shooting, “Indonesia will continue to be at risk”, he said.

He also said that while expecting people to pay in the incentive fund is a big problem, a big problem for which the government wants to get the necessary vaccines.

“Middle-income countries like Indonesia have struggled to get vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer because [the makers of those vaccines] has prioritized countries that can afford to pay faster, ”he said.

When the consolidation conspiracy was announced earlier this month, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told reporters that Indonesia would need a 230 million shot of the incentive and that it was currently about half the number in the supply. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

Integrated messages

On Sunday, Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency approved the use of Sinovac, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Zifivax, another Chinese-made vaccine, on a stimulus program.

Coronavirus cases are only a small part of the Delta peak last July, but the government has launched a campaign to rehabilitate the country amid Omicron’s concerns. [File: Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo]

The following day, the ministry released a series of detailed instructions regarding the shooting that people can obtain from their first shot.

Unlike other countries around the world, Indonesia advises people not to use just one thing – people who have received two doses of the drug. Sinovac was told that he could have a Sinovac supplement, those with Moderna can only have Moderna and those who got Pfizer jab with Pfizer or Moderna additive.

Neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia, meanwhile, have promoted vaccine mixing and have recommended that Sinovac vaccine holders have a mRNA supplement of Pfizer or Moderna.

Many countries around the world have also recommended firing a shot because they think it contributes to a better immune response.

In December last year, a survey conducted in Oxford in the United Kingdom found that people had better immune response when he received the first shot of AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech followed by Moderna nine weeks later.

But Indonesia’s policy statement on incentives could be a reflection of the government’s current burden and purchasing power, experts said.

“If the government is not able to provide adequate vaccines, simply providing additional vaccinations to advanced groups such as the elderly is seen as a form of vaccination,” Arifianto said.

“This will be a problem for everyone. It is a large country with a large population and good health.”

Indonesia has reported more than 4 million cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak and nearly 150,000 people have died, the highest in Asia Pacific.

And when current cases fluctuate between 400 and 500 per day – a a small portion written last July – there are concerns about Omicron.

A new study has been released by @indikatorcoid shows that 55% of Indonesians opposed the vaccination program. Possible due to its cost (since large amounts will be provided by MDs and specialist hospitals on pay for services) and lack of information about prospective people. https://t.co/4LPVMNeY8N

– Alexander Arifianto (@DrAlexArifianto) January 9, 2022

More than 150 people have been diagnosed with the virus since it was first reported in Indonesia last month. Most of the cases were linked to travelers from other countries entering Indonesia, but cases of their spread have also been found in cities including Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan.

First groups

The arrival of Omicron prompted the government to consider initiating the launch of the incentive program, which was supposed to start as soon as the vaccine reached 70 percent.

But researchers are concerned that it could disrupt the existing vaccine program.

“Maybe some people don’t want the supplement but are worried, so they will have to pay for the vaccine,” Riono said.

“In some places, people did not get their first or second level. The government should make it a rule that only those in 60 to 70 percent of the population will be vaccinated.

“Even then it has to be people who are in advanced groups such as the elderly and people who have a problem or who interact with people.”

Glory Nainggolan is a student in Medan. They have the COVID-19 vaccine but have concerns about boost. He thinks it should be kept for medical professionals [Supplied]

In Medan, a well-trained Catholic priest, Friar Fernando, told Al Jazeera that he was still waiting to hear the sound of gunfire. He did not want to share his full name.

During the first vaccination campaign, religious leaders were given priority for their public ministry.

He said it was unclear who would be eligible for the free vaccine at this time.

“As far as I know only health professionals are considered important at the moment,” Fernando said. The strike by front-runners began last July when a Delta strike hit an estimated 1.3 million people have already been shot three times, most of them medical workers.

Before the campaign on Wednesday, the Indikator.co.id research team found that 55 percent of Indonesians did not agree with the idea of ​​a vaccine for exercise, which Arifianto said could be due to its cost and lack of clear health information.

In Medan, student Glory Nainggolan, who is on immunization, told Al Jazeera that he was concerned about the effects of the third vaccine on his health.

“I think two vaccines are enough. I am worried that the effects will be stronger if I get a third vaccine,” he said.

“I think it’s not important for the general public and the incentives should be kept for health workers who are struggling with the virus on a daily basis.”