By: Laksmi Savitri) *
The public can now breathe a sigh of relief because soon the Covid-19 vaccination program will be running. All types of Covid-19 vaccines are also known to have good safety profiles.
Various skewed information regarding the Covid-19 vaccine does not match the facts. This was conveyed by a vaccinologist from Menteng Mitra Afia Hospital, dr. Dirga Sakti Rambe, M.Sc, Sp.PD. According to him, until now clinical trials with types, brands and from any country have shown a good safety profile.
Regarding its effectiveness, Dirga stated that each vaccine has a different effectiveness but all of them can help.
He added that the vaccine’s ability to protect humans is called efficacy. The term is usually used in clinical trials. However, in everyday use, efficacy is referred to as effectiveness.
Each vaccine has a different character and level of protection. However, vaccines with an effectiveness of 90.80 or even 60.70 percent during a pandemic have a very important impact.
Each level of effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine is considered very important because until now there are no vaccines and drugs for Covid-19.
Previously, the World Health Organization (WHO) had set the requirements for the efficacy or effectiveness of vaccines. Where the minimum number of Covid-19 vaccine efficacy is 50 percent. This means that if it is below 50 percent, the vaccine is not suitable for distribution.
The most important thing in the vaccination process, according to Dirga, is everyone’s knowledge of the benefits of vaccines.
The Covid-19 vaccine serves to protect everyone from Covid-19 and reduce the risk of death. The public also needs to know that vaccines can cause mild side effects, such as pain at the injection site to fever.
In principle, the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the possibility of side effects.
The public is expected not to be afraid or doubtful when the Covid-19 vaccine is ready to be given. The government is ensuring that the veksin to be used is safe, effective and lawful. The government has also collaborated with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to ensure that the vaccines used are halal.
The vaccines used later have passed the stage 3 clinical trials and received emergency use of authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Inspection Agency (BPOM) and are registered with the World Health Organization (WHO).
On different occasions Prof. Dr. dr. Samsuridjal Djauzi, SpPD-KAI, Chair of the Adult Immunization Task Force, the Association of Indonesian Internal Medicine Specialists, said that the Covid-19 vaccine is a dead vaccine, a virus that has been weakened to make the Covid-19 vaccine.
Regarding the mutation of the Covid-19 virus which is reportedly more virulent than the previous version, Prof. Samsuridjal assures that the Covid-19 vaccine is still effective against this mutation.
He said that every virus would mutate naturally, even though the vaccine used was still effective against the new mutation, WHO was still monitoring it.
Prof. Samsuridjal also explained further how vaccines are able to cover each other’s shortcomings. “The vaccine we provide from Sinovac cannot be used for elderly people, but those from America or England can be used for elderly people.
He also confirmed that the side effects of the vaccination had been mild so far, and no one had shown any serious symptoms. “Vaccinations in Britain and America have been carried out on hundreds of thousands of people. There are two kinds of side effects. First, there is redness at the injection site. Second, the body temperature rises slightly or is dizzy, allergies rarely occur, but if there is a drug or food allergy, you must report before getting vaccinated.
We should also be grateful that the government has tried hard to provide vaccinations for the community so that people can reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19.
It should be noted that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has explained that the Indonesian government has collaborated with various parties to provide vaccines. Indonesia is one of the few countries that has secured the supply of vaccines for domestic use.
Head of BPOM Penny G Lukito himself emphasized that his party really prioritizes safety assurance and prudence in the procurement of the Covid-19 vaccine, from quality to vaccine efficacy.
The government has guaranteed the safety and efficacy of vaccines, moreover President Jokowi has stated that the state guarantees that vaccines will be given free of charge to the public.
) * The author is a contributor to the Indonesian Institute for Strategic Information Studies