Delay and Free Booster Vaccines: Prioritize Vulnerable Groups and Vaccine Equality for All
09 January 2022 – The Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Justice urges the government to review plans to provide a booster vaccine or third dose to the general public. This is because vaccination coverage for doses 1 and 2 is not yet optimal for vulnerable groups, especially the elderly. This condition could prolong the Covid-19 pandemic. The government must also ensure that vaccines are provided to all, without a paid scheme.
PRESS RELEASE
Delay and Free Booster Vaccines: Prioritize Vulnerable Groups and Vaccine Equality for All
Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Justice
January 09, 2022 – Coalition Civil Society for Access to Health Justice urges the government to review plans to provide a booster vaccine or third dose to the general public. This is because vaccination coverage for doses 1 and 2 is not yet optimal for vulnerable groups, especially the elderly. This condition could prolong the Covid-19 pandemic. The government must also ensure that vaccines are provided to all, without a paid scheme.
As of Thursday (6/1/2022), second dose vaccination coverage in Indonesia was still relatively low, namely 55.58%. The full (second) dose of elderly vaccination has also only reached 42.86%. This means that there are still around 6.9 million elderly people who have not received any vaccine at all. This number does not include vulnerable groups, such as residents with comorbidities, pregnant women, indigenous people, people with disabilities, and others. The central government has not provided data on vaccination coverage for vulnerable groups.
In fact, they are a group that has a high risk of infection. This situation shows that vaccination inequality in Indonesia is still relatively high. This condition has the potential to make people vulnerable to exposure to Covid-19. Therefore, the plan is to administer the vaccine boosters not a wise move. "This plan will actually make those who have not received the vaccine even more vulnerable to infection and increase the risk of death," said Firdaus Ferdiansyah, a member of the Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Justice.
The government plans to distribute vaccines boosters also triggers disparities in vaccination achievements in the regions. Vaccine boosters, for example, is only given to districts/cities that have achieved 70% vaccination of the first dose and 60% of the second dose. As of January 7 2022, there are only 244 districts/cities that have achieved these requirements. This means that there are still 290 districts/cities where full dose vaccination coverage is less than 60%.
This condition shows that inequality in the distribution and acceptance of vaccines to the public still occurs. In fact, local Omicron transmission is already underway, said Firdaus, who is also a LaporCovid-19 volunteer. If boosters given to only 244 districts/cities, it could lead to unfair access to vaccines. Because they are protected before residents in 290 other districts/cities.
No one is safe until everyone is safe
Considering that the pandemic is a global health crisis, comprehensive protection for all citizens is critical to mutual safety, as is the case in Indonesia. If those who have been vaccinated get the opportunity to boosters While there are still many people who have not been vaccinated at all, the transmission of Covid-19 is still very threatening. The government must ensure that everyone gets protection through vaccination doses 1 and 2, before boosters given. Remember, no one is safe until everyone is safe, he said.
The government plans to provide vaccines boosters paid for those who are not Contribution Assistance Recipient (PBI) participants, this will also hinder the achievement of vaccination and the goal of increasing population immunity. In fact, the constitution, the Health Law, the Infectious Disease Outbreak Law, and the Health Quarantine Law, have mandated the government to provide equal access to health services, including vaccination.
The paid vaccine scheme only benefits those who have the ability to buy vaccines, while it is increasingly difficult for poor people to get vaccines, said Agus Sarwono from Transparency International Indonesia, who is also part of the Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Justice.
Therefore, twenty-nine organizations that are members of the Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Justice have sent a letter to the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The letter was to ask WHO to provide advice to the Indonesian government to immediately postpone plans to administer the vaccine boosters on January 12 2022 before the primary dose of vaccination is given to all vaccination targets. The coalition also urges that vaccination be provided free of charge to all residents. Because vaccines are public goods that cannot be traded during a crisis.
The current vaccines are obtained free of charge from bilateral cooperation between countries and multilateral cooperation, as well as direct purchases using APBN funds. In this way, the government should not be allowed to buy and sell the Covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia.
Along with our letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Equity urges governments to:
- Delay the administration of booster vaccines until 70-80% of the population has received doses 1 and 2, especially the elderly and other vulnerable groups throughout the region in proportion to the level of infection in the community.
- Ensure that infrastructure management for administering doses 1 and 2 of vaccine is improved so that full dose vaccine coverage can be achieved precisely and quickly.
- Ensure the availability of vaccines equally and proportionally in each region so that vaccines can be easily accessed by all.
- Cancel paid vaccine plans and provide booster vaccines to all citizens for free.
The Civil Society Coalition for Access to Health Justice consists of:
Center for Constitutional Studies, Faculty of Law, Andalas University (Pusako), Center for Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), Center for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), Clean Indonesia Coalition, LBH Masyarakat, Covid Survivor Indonesia (CSI), SERBUK Indonesia, Hakasasi.id, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), Indonesia Global Justice (IGJ), Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Indonesian Human Rights Teaching Union (SEPAHAM Indonesia), Institute for Community Studies and Advocacy (ELSAM), islambermobil.com, Kurawal Foundation, Lokataru Foundation, Misykat Al-Anwar Ecological Islamic Boarding School, Nalar.tv, Democratic Education Association (P2D), Indonesian Human Protection Foundation (YPII), LaporCovid-19, RUJAK Center for Urban Studies, Salam Institute, Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN), Legal Aid Forum for Indonesian Equality (FBUHK), LBH Jakarta, Trade Union Rights Center (TURC), Transparency International Indonesia.
Contact Person:
Firdaus Ferdiansyah, LaporCovid-19 (0878-3882-2426)
Agus Sarwono, Transparency International Indonesia (0812-699-2667)
Agung Prakoso, Indonesia Global Justice (0857-8873-0007)
