• Latest
  • Trending
A veteran who died of COVID-19 is buried in a North Sumatra cemetery. People over 60 years of age represent only 10 percent of Indonesia’s population, but account for 39 percent of coronavirus deaths [Dedi Sinuhaji/EPA]

Young people first: Indonesia’s COVID vaccine strategy questioned

January 13, 2021
Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

January 23, 2021
Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

January 23, 2021
Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

January 23, 2021
Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. Image credits - Newswire

Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine

January 22, 2021
“De-Fi”, Finance redefined

“De-Fi”, Finance redefined

January 22, 2021
Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

January 22, 2021
Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates  inauguration

Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates inauguration

January 22, 2021
FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

January 22, 2021
A medical staff member receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Union to tighten travel curbs for virus hot spots as COVID-19 third wave fears mount

January 22, 2021
FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

January 22, 2021
India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

India to donate COVID-19 vaccines for Sri Lanka front line workers

January 22, 2021
Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

January 21, 2021
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, January 23, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. Image credits - Newswire

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates  inauguration

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates inauguration

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India to donate COVID-19 vaccines for Sri Lanka front line workers

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    A smoke rises from fire at Serum Institute of India in Pune, India January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

    Fire at India’s Serum Institute kills 5, AstraZeneca vaccine output unaffected

    A healthcare worker reacts as she receives a dose of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign at a medical centre in Mumbai, India, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

    South Africa to pay $5.25 a dose for AstraZeneca vaccine from India’s SII

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    A medical staff member receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

    European Union to tighten travel curbs for virus hot spots as COVID-19 third wave fears mount

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JANUARY 21: Security forces stand guard at the explosion site after a suicide bombing attack in Baghdad, Iraq on January 21, 2021. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

    Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 28 in Baghdad

    Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer on Epiphany, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Vatican, January 6, 2021. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

    Pope, due to visit Iraq in March, condemns Baghdad attack

    Full text  of  President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

    Full text of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas hints at shock role in The Matrix 4

    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra wants Hollywood to embrace Asian stories

    Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) enjoy their own show on Disney Plus. Image credits - Marvel Studios

    WandaVision first reactions are in: A ‘tantalizing experiment’ for Marvel

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    ‘The ability to sell an unfashionably uncynical heroine in an age of moral torpor’: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Photograph: Clay Enos/AP

    Wonder Woman 1984 review – the superheroine 2020 needs

    Image: InnerSloth

    Nearly half a billion users played Among Us in November

    Image: CD Projekt Red

    Cyberpunk 2077 has sold more than 13 million copies, despite launch disaster and refunds

    © Sujit Jaiswal Bollywood actress Shriya Saran (C) and dancers perform for a music video in Mumbai in February. Pandemic restrictions have forbidden producers from shooting the elaborate musical sequences that are a hallmark of Hindi movies

    After a catastrophic year, Bollywood hopes for a 2021 comeback

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Sri Lanka airports officially open for tourists. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Airports in Sri Lanka officially open for tourists

    FILE PHOTO: An IndiGo Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft takes off in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

    IndiGo tightens grip in India and targets growth abroad

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    FILE PHOTO: NASA's Space Launch System mobile launcher stands atop Launch Pad 39B for months of testing before it will launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on mission Artemis 1 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thom Baur/File Photo

    NASA’s Boeing moon rocket cuts short ‘once-in-a-generation’ ground test

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread. Image credits - Eurasia Review

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread

    A chef prepares a sandwich with a marijuana leaf at Abhaibhubejhr hospital canteen which adds cannabis infused dishes to its menu after cannabis leaves, stems, stalks and roots were officially removed from Thailand's narcotics list, allowing basically any part of the plant except for the buds to be used for consumption in Prachin Buri province, outside Bangkok, Thailand January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

    Thailand serves up cannabis cuisine to happy customers

    What’s in a name?

    What’s in a name?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor are seen in an undated handout still from the Netflix series "Bridgerton". Netflix/Handout via REUTERS

    Netflix forecasts an end to borrowing binge, shares surge

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    James Howells mined bitcoin for four years. BBC News

    Man who threw hard drive with 7,500 bitcoin offers $70 million to dig it from the city dump

    FILE PHOTO: The Whatsapp logo and binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    WhatsApp to delay launch of update business features after privacy backlash

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Relevance of the English language in Sri Lanka

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Treading a fine line in big power rivalries

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. Image credits - Newswire

    Sri Lanka approves emergency use of Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates  inauguration

    Kamala Harris’ village in Tamil Nadu celebrates inauguration

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India to donate COVID-19 vaccines for Sri Lanka front line workers

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    A smoke rises from fire at Serum Institute of India in Pune, India January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

    Fire at India’s Serum Institute kills 5, AstraZeneca vaccine output unaffected

    A healthcare worker reacts as she receives a dose of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign at a medical centre in Mumbai, India, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

    South Africa to pay $5.25 a dose for AstraZeneca vaccine from India’s SII

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    A medical staff member receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

    European Union to tighten travel curbs for virus hot spots as COVID-19 third wave fears mount

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    Fire kills five in Indian COVID-19 vaccine institute

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JANUARY 21: Security forces stand guard at the explosion site after a suicide bombing attack in Baghdad, Iraq on January 21, 2021. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

    Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 28 in Baghdad

    Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer on Epiphany, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Vatican, January 6, 2021. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

    Pope, due to visit Iraq in March, condemns Baghdad attack

    Full text  of  President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

    Full text of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas hints at shock role in The Matrix 4

    © Bang Showbiz Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas

    Priyanka Chopra wants Hollywood to embrace Asian stories

    Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) enjoy their own show on Disney Plus. Image credits - Marvel Studios

    WandaVision first reactions are in: A ‘tantalizing experiment’ for Marvel

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    Photo Feature: Galle Face promenade comes to life at dusk

    ‘The ability to sell an unfashionably uncynical heroine in an age of moral torpor’: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Photograph: Clay Enos/AP

    Wonder Woman 1984 review – the superheroine 2020 needs

    Image: InnerSloth

    Nearly half a billion users played Among Us in November

    Image: CD Projekt Red

    Cyberpunk 2077 has sold more than 13 million copies, despite launch disaster and refunds

    © Sujit Jaiswal Bollywood actress Shriya Saran (C) and dancers perform for a music video in Mumbai in February. Pandemic restrictions have forbidden producers from shooting the elaborate musical sequences that are a hallmark of Hindi movies

    After a catastrophic year, Bollywood hopes for a 2021 comeback

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

    PHIs urge immediate border restriction for all 9 provinces in Sri Lanka

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Ukrainians cancel visit to SL over PCR concerns. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Ukrainians cancel visit to Sri Lanka over PCR concerns

    FILE PHOTO: People gather in the viewpoint in Leblon Beach, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

    Brazil recorded a record number of divorces during the second half of 2020

    Sri Lanka airports officially open for tourists. Image credits - Anadolu Agency

    Airports in Sri Lanka officially open for tourists

    FILE PHOTO: An IndiGo Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft takes off in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

    IndiGo tightens grip in India and targets growth abroad

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

    FILE PHOTO: NASA's Space Launch System mobile launcher stands atop Launch Pad 39B for months of testing before it will launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on mission Artemis 1 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thom Baur/File Photo

    NASA’s Boeing moon rocket cuts short ‘once-in-a-generation’ ground test

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    India begins first phase of vaccination to cover 30 million people

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread. Image credits - Eurasia Review

    Without Right Messaging, Masks Could Lead To More COVID-19 Spread

    A chef prepares a sandwich with a marijuana leaf at Abhaibhubejhr hospital canteen which adds cannabis infused dishes to its menu after cannabis leaves, stems, stalks and roots were officially removed from Thailand's narcotics list, allowing basically any part of the plant except for the buds to be used for consumption in Prachin Buri province, outside Bangkok, Thailand January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

    Thailand serves up cannabis cuisine to happy customers

    What’s in a name?

    What’s in a name?

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    “De-Fi”, Finance redefined

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

    Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor are seen in an undated handout still from the Netflix series "Bridgerton". Netflix/Handout via REUTERS

    Netflix forecasts an end to borrowing binge, shares surge

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    Turkish messaging app booms in Bangladesh

    James Howells mined bitcoin for four years. BBC News

    Man who threw hard drive with 7,500 bitcoin offers $70 million to dig it from the city dump

    FILE PHOTO: The Whatsapp logo and binary cyber codes are seen in this illustration taken November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    WhatsApp to delay launch of update business features after privacy backlash

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around The World

Young people first: Indonesia’s COVID vaccine strategy questioned

Editor by Editor
January 13, 2021
in Around The World, Coronavirus, World
Reading Time: 7min read
4 0
A veteran who died of COVID-19 is buried in a North Sumatra cemetery. People over 60 years of age represent only 10 percent of Indonesia’s population, but account for 39 percent of coronavirus deaths [Dedi Sinuhaji/EPA]

A veteran who died of COVID-19 is buried in a North Sumatra cemetery. People over 60 years of age represent only 10 percent of Indonesia’s population, but account for 39 percent of coronavirus deaths [Dedi Sinuhaji/EPA]

Share on WhatsApp

Jakarta, Indoensia, January 13 (Al Jazeera) – In the UK, the first person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside trial conditions was a 90-year-old pensioner. In Canada, the first recipient was only marginally younger at 89. In Germany, a 101-year-old nursing home resident was first in line.

But in Indonesia, the country worst affected by the virus in Southeast Asia with 836,718 confirmed cases and 24,343 deaths, the government has chosen an unorthodox vaccination strategy.

In the first phase that begins on Wednesday and continues until the end of March, 1.3 million healthcare workers and a further 17.4 million workers from the public service – police, soldiers, teachers and bureaucrats – will receive free jabs of CoronaVac, the vaccine developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech. After that, it will be working adults.

“Indonesia is targeting the productive age at 18 to 59 years instead of elderly people because we have not completed the stage three clinical trials for people this age range with the Sinovac vaccine,” Ministry of Health spokesperson Dr Nadia Wikeko told Al Jazeera. “We are still waiting for the BPOM (Indonesia’s agency for drug and food control) review to see if the vaccine can be used safely for people over 60.”

Many citizens support the strategy.

“Because older people in Indonesia mostly stay at home, the chance of being infected is lower than that of people of working age,” said Putu, a 56-year-old Balinese woman who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. “So, if younger people get vaccinated first, they can visit older people safely.”

But experts are sceptical.

“We know that older people who have already been vaccinated in China and the Middle East have responded as well to the vaccines as younger people,” said Kim Mulholland, a professor of vaccinology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who is based at the University of Melbourne. “So the argument that older people should not be vaccinated because they have not been included in trials in Indonesia is not valid.”

Indonesia’s strategy is the reverse of the accepted wisdom on vaccination, with medical experts saying the first groups to be vaccinated should be front-line medical staff and then the elderly.

“Older adults, particularly those who are frail or living in long-term care facilities, have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” found a recent study published in The Lancet, the world’s leading medical journal. “Vaccines that are safe and effective in this population have been eagerly anticipated.”

Mulholland puts it like this: “If you look at all the studies conducted in every country in the world, the evidence overwhelmingly shows the greatest risk factor for becoming gravely ill from COVID-19 is age. Even in Indonesia which has a young population, the most deaths are people over 60.”

Data released by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health corroborates the argument. People over 60 years of age represent only 10 percent of Indonesia’s population but 39 percent of COVID-19 fatalities.

“So that makes me think about what my Indonesian colleagues have been telling me: that what the Indonesian government might really be trying to do is to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating young adults who are the most potent spreaders of the disease,” Mulholland said.

“But the problem with this strategy is that there is no evidence to suggest that vaccinations prevent recipients from acquiring and transmitting the disease. Effective vaccines have only been shown to prevent recipients from getting sick.”

The wrong vaccine?

Indonesia is one of six countries where Sinovac, a Chinese pharmaceutical firm, conducted phase three clinical trials for its CoronaVac experimental shot. Some 1,620 volunteers joined the trials which began in August, as the government secured 125 million doses of the vaccine and an option to secure an additional 100 million doses, 18 million of which have already been delivered.

In December, the country spread its bets by placing firm orders for hundreds of millions of more doses from vaccine makers AstraZeneca, Novavax and Pfizer. It has also announced plans to develop and produce its own COVID-19 vaccine by mid-2021.

Supplies of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Banda Aceh in the north of Sumatra [Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA]

But CoronaVac is the only vaccine that has received regulatory approval, and the only one already delivered in large numbers to Indonesia.

“I think Sinovac is a good vaccine for this country because Pfizer’s has to be kept frozen at -70C and we do not have ‘freeze chain’ logistics across Indonesia,” said Dr Panji Hadisoemarto, an epidemiologist at Padjadjaran University in Java. “But with the Sinovac vaccine, you can store it in a cold-chain, which we have in Indonesia.”

“Another benefit from using Sinovac is that it’s an ‘inactivated’ vaccine,” Panji said, using the term to describe vaccines with virus particles that are dead instead of alive. “It’s the type of vaccine we use all the time in Indonesia for immunisation campaigns. They do not take a lot of training to administer.”

But Dr Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist who helped lead the team that formulated Indonesia’s strategic response to SARS, HIV, Avian Influenza, Swine Flu, tuberculosis and malaria, says Sinovac’s is the last vaccine he would choose.

“I would choose AstraZeneca’s first because it can also be stored in a refrigerator like Sinovac’s and they have a great track record, whereas Chinese vaccine makers do not,” he said.

Budiman’s equal second choice – Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines – are harder to transport, but contain messenger RNA technology that makes the vaccine flexible and able to deal with new mutations of the virus.

“Even a small mutation will have a significant impact on the effectiveness of a vaccine strategy and 40,000 mutations of COVID-19 have been found,” he said. “But Sinovac’s vaccine doesn’t have any vac-flexibility so it would be the last one I would choose.”

He added, “We have a proverb in Indonesia ‘Tidak ada rotan, akar pun jadi’. It means ‘make do with what you have – even if it’s not good’. That’s what happens with rapid antibody tests in Indonesia,” he said, referring to the epidemiological tool that was improperly used to screen domestic passengers at Indonesian airports last year. “Now, they’re doing it again with the vaccine. They already have millions of Sinovac vaccines, so they’re going to use them.”

It’s the economy

Working-age adults will also be prioritised in the second phase of Indonesia’s vaccination drive – a grand plan to inoculate 181.5 million people, or approximately 67 percent of the country’s 273 million people, within 15 months.

Indonesia has been carrying out ‘vaccination drills’ before the start of this week’s mass vaccination programme [Made Nagi/EPA]

This has fuelled speculation that Indonesia’s vaccination strategy is based purely on economic considerations.

“It is clear the decision to target people of working age is related to the development of the economy,” said Ajib Hamdani, chairman of the finance and banking division of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association.

“But the decision over vaccine allocation is also related to demographics,” he explained. “In Indonesia, we have a much larger proportion of people who are of working age compared to developed countries. So, the government is right to make younger adults a priority because if it does not maintain the health of this age group, it will make much bigger problems for the country later on.”

He added, “We acknowledge the first problem of the pandemic is health, not the economy. But with this vaccination policy, we have high hopes that it will fix both at the same time.”

Fithra Faisal Hastiadi, an economist at the University of Indonesia and spokesperson for the Ministry of Trade, voiced similar sentiments.

“When you talk about public health you are also talking about the economy because public health is a function of the economy,” he said. “There is no real difference between the two.

“Some say when you push more on public health, the economy will suffer and vice versa. But we cannot restore public health if we do not restart the economy. So, in this sense, the government is trying to do both.”

Hastiadi believed the vaccination strategy would succeed in putting millions of Indonesians back to work.

“If you look at the sectors with the most unemployed, they are tourism, transport and logistics. These are also the sectors that have the greatest multiplier effect in terms of economic productivity. So, if people are vaccinated and can go back to work in these sectors, we can meet President Jokowi’s target of a full economic recovery in 2021.”

But a faster than expected economic recovery may provide little solace to the thousands of Indonesians who have lost elderly relatives to COVID-19, or to the tens of millions who live in intergenerational households.

There has been no confirmation of when over-60s will get their jabs. Health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday that they should wait for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca inoculations because they have been tested on older people, Rakyat Merdeka reported.

The first supplies are not due until April and Dr Budiman thinks the roll-out might not happen until the last quarter of 2021.

The London School of Tropical Medicine’s Mulholland believes the lengthy wait will result in thousands more deaths among Indonesia’s older people.

“It’s quite plausible that young people who are vaccinated could still be acquiring the disease, not showing any symptoms and taking it home,” Mulholland said. “If that is the case, vaccinating young adults will not slow down mortality rates.”

Tags: Covid-19IndonesiaVaccine
SendShare2Tweet1ShareShare
Editor

Editor

Recommended Articles

  • All
  • Recommend
Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

Given America’s present and the past, Biden’s call for unity was timely

January 23, 2021
Full text  of  President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

Full text of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address

January 21, 2021
Geo-political dimensions of Pakistan PM’s visit to Sri Lanka

Geo-political dimensions of Pakistan PM’s visit to Sri Lanka

January 20, 2021
India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

India begins supply of COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries

January 19, 2021
Adani and Ambani caught in the Indian farmers’ storm

Adani and Ambani caught in the Indian farmers’ storm

January 19, 2021
Clashing demands from Sri Lanka pose a serious challenge to UNHRC

Clashing demands from Sri Lanka pose a serious challenge to UNHRC

January 19, 2021

Advertorial

  • All
  • Advertorial
Visual and Textual Analysis for Images with Reverse Search Tools

Visual and Textual Analysis for Images with Reverse Search Tools

January 3, 2021

Popular Now

  • Kamala and Rohini:  The Indo-Lankan combo in the US Vice President’s Office

    Kamala and Rohini: The Indo-Lankan combo in the US Vice President’s Office

    136 shares
    Share 88 Tweet 20
  • Covid-19: PHIs in Sri Lanka warn of critical time in coming weeks

    21 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 5
  • Indonesia’s Islamic body deems Sinovac vaccine ‘holy and halal’

    19 shares
    Share 8 Tweet 5
  • HSBC to close 82 branches this year

    13 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 3
  • Dire need to understand how the world’s ports and shipping work

    71 shares
    Share 60 Tweet 5
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2020 NewsIn.Asia - Lovingly maintained by DigitalArc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States

© 2020 NewsIn.Asia - Lovingly maintained by DigitalArc.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In