Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo has stated that the government has decided to make the third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine free for all Indonesians, by prioritizing the elderly and the vulnerable group.

"I have decided that the third doses of vaccination are free for all Indonesians because people's safety is the first priority," the head of state said at the Merdeka Palace here on Tuesday (Jan. 11).

The third doses of COVID-19 vaccination will begin on January 12, 2022.

The booster vaccine doses are considered important to increase people's immunity considering the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate.

"The terms and conditions for receiving the third doses of vaccination are that the prospective recipients have received the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines after more than six months previously," the president said.

Even though the third doses have been inoculated, he reminded that people remain adhere to health protocols.

"Keep wearing masks, maintaining distance and washing hands, because vaccination and obeying health protocols are keys in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic," the head of state said.

Earlier, five brands of vaccines had received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from Indonesia’s National Agency of Food and Drug Control (BPOM) as booster doses, namely Sinovac/CoronaVac, Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Zifivax.

Data from the Ministry of Health as of Tuesday (Jan. 11) showed that the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines that had been injected reached 171,056,204 or 82.13 percent of the target, while the second doses that had been inoculated was 117,333,660 or 56.34 percent.

Meanwhile, the third doses of vaccination targeting health workers reached 1,328,659 people or 90.46 percent of the target.

The Indonesian government targets 208,265,720 people to receive a complete COVID-19 vaccination to achieve herd immunity.

Currently, there are only five provinces with the first doses of vaccination coverages below 70 percent, namely West Sumatra, West Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua, and Papua.

Reporting by Indonesia Window