The Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) today issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the administration of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 6-11, with the program expected to commence early next year.
Prior to the EUA, no COVID-19 vaccine had been approved for children under 12 in Indonesia.
“We are certain that vaccinating children is something that is urgent now, especially considering that in-class learning has commenced,” BPOM Chief Penny Lukito said during a press conference today.
Indonesia relaunched in-class learning some two months ago, and the government claims COVID-19 transmission at schools have been relatively low despite early concerns.
Despite the urgency, the Health Ministry previously stated that COVID-19 jabs for children under 12 may begin in early 2022 to ensure vaccine availability and approvals from BPOM and pediatric associations.
Indonesia has received over 200 million doses of Sinovac’s vaccine, making it overwhelmingly the most prevalent jab in the country since it began its mass vaccination program in early 2021. As of Oct. 30, the country has fully inoculated 73.3 million people, or 26.8 percent of its total population.
The ministry said two other vaccines, namely by pharmaceutical firms Sinopharm and Pfizer, are also being considered for administration on children aged 6-11. Notably, the US recently approved the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-11.
