All about the covid vaccine

Read all articles about coronavirus (COVID-19) here.

The COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia is planned to be carried out in early 2021. Vaccines are expected to be distributed soon after MUI has given the halal stamp and BPOM has granted distribution permits. But there are still many people who wonder about safety, side effects, and how to get it.

Here is some general information about the COVID-19 vaccine and the implementation of immunization in Indonesia.

All about the COVID-19 vaccine that you need to know

According to the plan, the COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia will prioritize health personnel, legal officials, religious leaders, and central to regional government officials. In addition, President Joko Widodo also announced that vaccination would be free for all Indonesians.

What should I pay attention to before and after being vaccinated?

The target of the vaccination program is those aged 18-59 years without comorbids or comorbidities. So before being vaccinated, the officer will check and ask about your medical record. People outside this group are expected to wait until there is a safe vaccine for the elderly or those who have comorbidities.

People who have comorbid serious illnesses such as cancer, hypertension, or diabetes are not included in the COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia. Therefore, these patients must guard themselves by applying 3M strictly and with discipline.

It should be noted, the vaccines currently available do not prevent a person from contracting and transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19. The clinical trial methods used on vaccines are only designed to relieve symptoms and the risk of death when infected with COVID-19.

So those who have been vaccinated are still at risk of becoming OTG (people without symptoms) when contracting this virus. Therefore, be careful, especially if you are around people at high risk, such as the elderly or with comorbids.

Check out a complete overview of the distribution and how to register for the vaccination program here.

I have recovered from COVID-19, do I have to be vaccinated?

Those who have recovered from COVID-19 are not advised to enroll in the vaccination program. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 are considered to have antibodies to protect themselves from a second infection. However, the government does not specifically record or retest whether the person has antibodies to COVID-19 or not.

Even so, those who have recovered from COVID-19 can participate in this program because the antibodies that arise are predicted to only last for about six months.

What COVID-19 vaccine can I get?

Everyone cannot choose which vaccines they can receive. Most of the available vaccines require two doses of injections ranging from a few days to several weeks. However, you cannot mix the injection dose of one COVID-19 vaccine with another, different COVID-19 vaccine.

In the COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia, each person will only get one type of vaccine. The list of vaccine recipients will be recorded in a centralized and integrated system to ensure that everyone will not receive double vaccinations.

The vaccines to be used in Indonesia have already been determined. In the Decree of the Minister of Health, there are only 6 vaccines that will be used in the COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia.

These vaccines are the COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer & BioNTech, China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm), PT Bio Farma (Persero), and Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

In general, the COVID-19 vaccine has mild side effects and goes away quickly. The six vaccines that are included in this government list have different dosages, effectiveness, side effects, and safety. Here's the explanation.

Pfizer & BioNTech's COVID-19 Vaccine: Safety, Side Effects and Dosage

The Pfizer & BioNtech vaccine is made from taking a genetic molecule of the SARS-CoV-2 virus called RNA (mRNA). The vaccine was developed by researchers from the New York-based Pfizer company and the German company BioNTech.

On Monday (9/11), the company Pfizer & BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccine has an effectiveness of more than 90%. They are the first team to announce the results of the final stage clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine. Two days later, on Friday (11/12), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency permit for this vaccine.

The researchers confirmed that people with comorbid obesity and diabetes could receive the vaccine and receive the same protection. This vaccine is effective for the age group 65 years and under. The use of this vaccine in the elderly has also shown the same level of efficacy as for people under 65 years.

The Pfizer vaccine is said to have no serious side effects, only causing fatigue, fever and muscle pain in a short time.

However, it was recently discovered that some of the recipients of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine had allergic reactions. For the time being, several countries are appealing to people with a history of allergies not to receive this vaccine. This appeal includes those who are allergic to food and drugs.

• Vaccine Name: Comirnaty / tozin Exhibit / BNT162b2
• Efficiency: 95%
• Dosage: 2 doses, 3 weeks apart
• Storage: Freezer storage only at -70 ° C

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: Safety, Side Effects, and Dosage

Like Pfizer and BioNTech, the Moderna vaccine makes its vaccine from mRNA. Monday (16/11), Moderna announced that its COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective in warding off the symptoms of COVID-19. Two days after the announcement, the FDA issued a permit for emergency use of the vaccine for distribution throughout the United States.

Although it is not certain how long these antibodies will last, Moderna found that the trial volunteers still had strong antibodies after 3 months.

This vaccine is intended for the 18-55 year age group. On December 2, Moderna registered trials of the vaccine in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18.

The side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine such as fever, chills, fatigue, and headaches are common after getting the second dose. At the injection site, there may be a little swelling, redness, and pain that will go away on its own.

These side effects are not dangerous and will disappear in approximately 7 days. However, in some people, these side effects are more severe and may affect daily activities.

In addition, allergic reactions may be more severe in those who have a history of allergies to any substance. The American Center for Disease Control (CDC) warns that people with a history of allergies should not receive the Moderna vaccine.

• Vaccine Name: mRNA-1273
• Efficiency: 94.5%
• Dosage: 2 doses, 4 weeks apart
• Storage: Lasts 6 months at -20 ° C

AstraZeneca Vaccine: Safety, Side Effects, and Dosage

The COVID-19 vaccine was developed by researchers from the University of Oxford, UK, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. This vaccine is made from an adenovirus engineered by adding the genetic code for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. This method is called the most advanced technology in vaccine development.

On Tuesday (8/12), this COVID-19 vaccine researcher published a report that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has 70% effectiveness in preventing someone from becoming sick due to COVID-19 infection.

However, on Saturday (26/12), AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said the new data showed their COVID-19 vaccine had an efficacy level as high as Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, which was above 90%. He also said that the AstraZeneca vaccine was 100% able to protect people from severe symptoms due to COVID-19.

The researchers specifically studied this vaccine in 160 volunteers aged 18-55 years, 160 people aged 56-69 years, and 240 people aged 70 years and over. The researchers noted that there were no serious side effects at any age and that the older volunteers produced as many antibodies as the younger volunteers.

This result is good news for the elderly who are included in the vulnerable group to experience severe symptoms if infected with COVID-19.

There are still many questions about the safety and effectiveness of this COVID-19 vaccine that have not been answered, such as side effects in people with allergies and differences in reports regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine.

• Vaccine name: AZD1222
• Effectiveness: 70.4%
• Dosage: 2 doses, 4 weeks apart
• Storage: Stable in the refrigerator for at least 6 months at 2-8 ° C, no need to freeze.

Sinovac Vaccine: Safety, Side Effects, and Dosage

The only announced Sinovac vaccine has been officially purchased by the Government of Indonesia. In early December, 1.2 million of these vaccines arrived in Indonesia. While the rest, according to the plan, will be delivered in January 2021.

Wednesday (23/12), Brazil announced the results of the clinical trial of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine phase in its country. Brazilian researchers say the COVID-19 vaccine candidate Sinovac has only more than 50% effectiveness. Although still within the limits allowed by WHO, this result is the lowest compared to other COVID-19 vaccines.

While the results of the final stage clinical trials of this vaccine in Turkey show different results. Sinovac was reported to have an efficacy of 91.25%. The side effects that are felt after receiving this vaccine are fever, slight aches in the body, and a feeling of fatigue that will go away on its own.

But there are no dangerous side effects, except for those who have allergies. The test results were based on data from 1,322 out of a total of 7,000 volunteers who participated in the clinical trial.

Sinovac is also conducting phase 3 clinical trials in Indonesia. However, it is predicted that the clinical trial results will not be known until May 2021.

• Vaccine name: CoronaVac
• Efficiency: More than 50%
• Dosage: 2 doses, 2 weeks apart
• Storage: refrigerator