Jakarta- The mandate of the COVID-19 vaccination program during the endemic transition is to reduce the death rate to the lowest level, an epidemiologist from the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia (FKM-UI), has said.

“The mandate is now to keep the number of deaths as low as possible,” Pandu Riono said at the 2023 national serosurvey press conference at the Health Ministry here on Friday.

Currently, there are no COVID-19 patients who need to be hospitalized, he added. But that does not mean that no one is getting infected.

Riono said that those contracting COVID-19 are generally experiencing mild symptoms because they have built immunity, either naturally through infection or the vaccination provided under the government program.

He gave the example of the detection of the latest Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.5, or Kraken, in Indonesia.

“The case that caused a stir yesterday, (due to) Kraken, has mild symptoms,” he said.

“Meanwhile in other countries, the case has triggered a spike in cases. Why is it that in Indonesia the situation is relatively calm, while in other countries the numbers are high? It’s because of our immunity,” he added.

The Indonesian Health Ministry has reported that as of February 2, 2023, fatalities have been reported from COVID-19 infection in Indonesia. In the past two weeks, five people have succumbed to the disease.

Meanwhile, a member of the serosurvey team as well as an epidemiologist from FKM UI, Iwan Ariawan, said that high antibody levels in the community are currently proving beneficial in preventing serious illness and death.

“An analysis of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia shows that the lowest risk of death is for those who have received a booster. Any type of booster vaccine can reduce the risk of death quite well,” he informed.

However, based on the serosurvey and analysis of the fatalities, vaccination is still essential for the community, Ariawan said.

“Infection can still occur because, in the midst of the current situation, it is impossible for us to eliminate SARS-CoV-2,” he added.

The national serosurvey conducted in January 2023 has shown that the immunity level among the Indonesian population against COVID-19 is high at 99 percent, an increase from 98 percent in July 2022.

The level of antibodies in the public is reported to have increased 1.5 times to 3,207 in January 2023 compared to 2,095 in July 2022.

Source: Antara News