It’s official: the general public in Indonesia can now get their COVID-19 booster shot just three months after completing their first two jabs.
In a Ministry of Health circular signed Feb. 25 that has come into immediate effect, the new three-month interval between the shots now applies to the general public (aged 18-60) after having previously been exclusive to the elderly (60 and above).
“Protection for the public against COVID-19 must be raised, including by the administering of booster shots,” the ministry’s Director General for Disease Control and Prevention Maxi Rein Rondonuwu said.
When Indonesia’s booster shot program was launched earlier this year, a minimum six-month interval was required between the second dose and the booster dose. In February, in the government’s attempt to expedite the booster shot rollout, it reduced the interval period to three months for those aged 60 and above.
Those who are eligible for a booster shot must present a vaccination ticket that can be obtained in the government’s health and mobility tracking app PeduliLindungi.
There is no word yet on whether children will require booster shots, and if so, when that program would commence. Vaccine rollout for children aged 6-11 only began in December 2021.
Indonesia is concurrently administering primary doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots. Just over 50 percent of the total 270 million population have received their second dose, and the program for the administration of the first and second doses is expected to conclude in June.
