IDNEWSNOW.COM, Boyolali – The government is preparing to kick off the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in early January next year.
“We will administer the booster shots as directed by the President starting January 1, 2022,” said Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono in Boyolali regency of Central Java, Friday, December 10.
The booster shots will be administered in stages and target vulnerable groups. “We prioritize the elderly and those with comorbidities,” Dante added.
The government will provide free booster shots for people listed as the recipients of the PBI category of BPJS Kesehatan. The program will be financed using the State Budget (APBN). Meanwhile, the general public has to pay for the booster shots.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin previously explained that the government prepared a budget to administer 21.5 million doses to the elderly group and 78.7 million doses to PBI recipients aged over 12 years. Thus, the total doses of vaccines needed hit 100.2 million.
The government, however, has not yet announced the price of the vaccine booster shots. The Health Ministry is still waiting for the results of studies by the Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) regarding the COVID-19 vaccine brand to be used.
Read: Jokowi Orders Vaccine Boosters Be Ready in January 2022: Airlangga
DEWI NURITA
