CoronaVac, the COVID-19 vaccine made by Chinese-flagged pharma, Sinovac. (Image via Jakarta Globe)

Expert: Paid vaccine will not solve COVID-19

Indonesian epidemiologists are concerned that the independent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination program, requiring people to pay, will result in another problem in handling the pandemic in Indonesia, having emerged in March 2020.

An epidemiologist from Airlangga University, Windhu Purnomo, stated that the paid vaccine would result in uncertainty on when the pandemic might cease. Moreover, the vaccine arrives in stages which might make it harder for the Indonesian Government in triggering 70% of herd immunity against COVID-19. Speaking on Wednesday, Windhu warned that the awareness of people toward COVID-19 is worsening.

Windhu added that the vaccine is not the main solution in solving the COVID-19 pandemic. The real deal is the government's effort in testing, tracing, and treatment (3T). On the other hand, people are expected to comply with the health protocols for COVID-19; wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing. Windhu stated that so far, the testing is still lacking and still falls short to the standard determined by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Therefore, Windhu said that the government is using people's euphoria welcoming the vaccine to "tame" the people. Furthermore, he said that the Indonesian Government should make a free, simultaneous vaccination program to reach 70% of herd immunity. Despite that, Windhu expected that the simultaneous vaccination would be near impossible because currently, many countries are competing to obtain and produce COVID-19 vaccines as many as possible. 

Windhu estimated that the government should do 15 million or 30 COVID-19 vaccine dosage in a month. Then, the 70% herd immunity target will be achievable in less than 14 months.

Supporting Windhu's statement, an epidemiologist from Public Health Faculty of University of Indonesia, Pandu Riono, also encouraged a free, simultaneous COVID-19 vaccination throughout Indonesia. Pandu warned that if they charged people for the vaccine, people would be unwilling. Therefore, Pandu asked the Indonesian Government to treat the vaccine as a public good, and constitutionally, it should be free of charge.

Furthermore, Pandu stated that so far, the government program still focuses on the economic sector, not the health sector. If the government is serious about implementing the COVID-19 management strategy, the other sectors will recover by itself. Pandu worried that in the end, vaccination in Indonesia will only become a lucrative business and commercial opportunity, ignoring the fact that the vaccine is a long-term solution and should be distributed freely.

For your information, currently, there has been no information on the safety and efficacy of the third phase of the clinical trial on Sinovac's vaccine, CoronaVac, arriving in Indonesia on Sunday. Meanwhile, Pfizer and Moderna had already submitted their 90% and 94.5% efficacy data. In Indonesia, Sinovac is cooperating with Bio Farma and Padjajaran University for the clinical trial. The initial report is expected to come in January 2021, and the clinical trial itself will finish by May 2021.

Source: https://bit.ly/3gqtFPP