Indonesia plans to give working-age adults the COVID-19 vaccine before the elderly get their shot, in an effort to achieve herd immunity quickly.
Indonesia’s health minister estimated that 181.5 million people, or 67 percent of the population, would need an injection to achieve immunity from the herd.
The country, which uses the Chinese Sinovac Biotech vaccine, also says it does not yet have enough data on the effects of the injection on older people, as clinical studies have been conducted in individuals aged 18 to 59. Indonesia also expects to receive the Pfizer and AstraZeneca. vaccines soon.
The country’s approach is very different from that of the US, which prioritizes health workers and seniors with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Dale Fisher, a professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, said he believes both approaches could work.
“Younger working adults are generally more active, more sociable and travel more, so this strategy should reduce community transmission faster than vaccinating older individuals,” Fisher told Reuters.
“Of course older people are more at risk of serious illness and death, so vaccinating those people has an alternative reason. I see merit in both strategies. “
With pole wires