The Ministry of Health has included people with immunodeficiencies, such as those with HIV and cancer, in the priority group for the COVID-19 booster vaccine planned for administration in 2022.

“In accordance with the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO), booster vaccines will be given to people at high risk and those experiencing immunodeficiency,” Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, stated during an online press conference, Tuesday.

According to Sadikin, the high-risk group that had started to receive the booster were health workers and the elderly. Meanwhile, individuals falling into the category of people with impaired immunity are those with HIV and cancer.

The minister remarked that the plan on giving booster vaccines to the general public in the country is likely to roll out in 2022.

“Next year, we plan to provide booster (vaccines),” he noted.

The Ministry of Health is conducting research on the ideal type of vaccine for boosters in collaboration with members of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) and several universities.

Sadikin stated that the research also aimed at seeing the best combination of vaccines to be administered to citizens.

The minister informed that the research was still ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

“Hopefully, the research would be completed, so that it becomes a basis for us to take action in future,” he noted.

Sadikin confirmed that his ministry was also observing the ongoing developments of booster vaccines in seven countries.

“Seven countries are also injecting booster vaccines,” he added.

Source: Antara News