At least 20 doctors and 10 nurses in Indonesia died between February and June of this year, despite being vaccinated with two doses against covid – 19, according to the country’s health workers association.
Experts are now calling for them to receive a third dose of Sinovac (the Chinese vaccine that is also administered in Chile, Uruguay, and several other Latin American countries), while Indonesia battles an increase in infections driven by new variants.
At the entrance to a vaccination center on the outskirts of Jakarta, hundreds of people push to enter. A guard tells them to be patient, there is no space inside.
Less than 8% of the population (267 million) from Indonesia has been vaccinated and with a dramatic increase in cases, driven by new variants such as delta, people are desperate for protection.
Inside, the local mayor, Arief Wismamsyah, explains that there has been a misunderstanding: they must register before approaching, he says.
Outside, through a loudspeaker, the guards tell people to go home … but nobody moves.
“No effect”
Currently Indonesia registers more than 26. 000 new cases of covid – 19 per day, although experts say the figure is in all likelihood much higher, given that not enough testing is done outside of the capital Jakarta.
But even among the immunized there are a growing concern about how much protection the vaccine made in China will give them.
Of the health workers who died from covid – 19 in Indonesia between February and June, 20 doctors and 10 nurses had received both doses of Sinovac.
Doctors are reluctant to speak publicly, but admit that they feel very vulnerable.
A lung specialist, who prefers to remain in anonymity, it is one of those who received her two doses.
After a month, she says that she had a test to verify the level of antibodies necessary to fight the disease in her body.
“It had no effect. This vaccine did not generated me antibodies , “he told the Indonesian BBC service. “I did it again a month later and got the same results.”
He acknowledges that some of his colleagues obtained better results, but in her, the Sinovac vaccine had little or no effect, he remarks.
Trials
Sinovac was approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO), which indicated that results had shown that it prevented symptomatic disease in the 51% of to s people vaccinate a s.
He also noted that the vaccine prevented severe cases of covid – 19 and hospitalization in the 100% of the population studied.
Sinovac Biotech, which makes the vaccine, insists that two doses are sufficient to offer protection against severe cases of the disease.
The pharmacist reported that it is conducting clinical trials on the efficacy of a third injection and states that the first results are encouraging.
“ After two injections, our body has already produced an immune memory. As for in which cases the third injection will be needed, we need to give researchers more time to study it, ”Yin Weidong, CEO of Sinovac, recently told China Central Television.
Yin explained that when volunteers who had been twice vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine received a third injection after three and six months, the antibody response was multiplied by 10 in one week and by 20 on 15 days.
The Indonesian Medical Association’s risk mitigation team says it believes that overall , any vaccine approved by the WHO and Indonesian authorities is helping to reduce the risk of covid – 19 serious.
But now ra is evaluating whether health workers should receive an additional dose.
Discussion on the third dose
Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist at Griffith University, in Australia, is among those who support the measure.
“At this moment in which we are facing a wave driven by new variants , it is very urgent that they receive a reinforcement. It is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine and increase the antibodies against variants such as delta one ”, he opines.
Tri Yunis Miko , an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, says that the efficacy of the vaccine decreases over time , and recalls that six months have passed since January , when health workers received their vaccines in the country.
But Windhu Purnomo, a professor at Airlangga University, also in Indonesia, wonders if it makes any sense to receive a third dose.
“We have seen several cases of health workers who died and were fully vaccinated. That shouldn’t have happened, “he says.
” If the Sinovac vaccine does not actually protect people against new variants , then the administration of third doses will not be useful. ”
Siti Nadi Tarmizi, spokesperson for the Indonesian government for the launch of the vaccine, says they are waiting for more information.
“Regarding the suggestion of a third dose of the vaccine, there have been no scientific publications or additional WHO recommendations in this regard. Therefore, we must wait, “he said.
” We have our own research team that is in the third phase from a clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine after two doses. This will provide us with information on whether we need to add a third boost injection. ”
“ On the brink of catastrophe ”
Indonesia has had the worst covid outbreak – 19 of Southeast Asia, with around 2.1 million positive cases and 57. 000 deaths to date.
Last month, the Indonesian Red Cross described the country’s situation as “on the brink of a covid catastrophe – 19 ”, with full hospitals and oxygen supply to critically low levels.
The number of children who contract covid – 19 has nearly tripled since May, and child deaths have risen dramatically as the country suffers the wave of most serious infections yet.
President Joko Widodo recently announced that the government will administer the vaccine to children older than 12 years.
And the authorities announced a two-week shutdown on the main island of Java as well as in Bali, with the aim of halving the number of cases.
While other vaccines may be available in Indonesia, such as those from AstraZeneca and Sinopharm, most doses have been supplied by their close ally, China.
Therefore, the reality is that the government has few options at this time, apart from continuing to use Sinovac.
Now you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate them so as not to miss our best content.
[…] which experts in Indonesia ask for a third dose of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 realamericanews.site/the-emergency-… Source by […]