Most Booster Vaccine Recipients Receive Their Third Dose Through Vaccination Managers

A survey by the Katadata Insight Center (KIC), Change.org, and Kawal Covid-19 shows that 0.2% of non-healthcare worker respondents in Indonesia have received a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine, or booster. Of this number, the majority, or 25%, received the booster vaccine because they had acquaintances who managed the vaccination site.

18.8% of respondents who had received the booster vaccine obtained information from social media. Furthermore, 12.5% of respondents received the booster vaccine because they were offered it by local officials.

Another 12.5% of respondents received the booster vaccine by paying a company. Meanwhile, 25% of respondents received the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine through other means.

Previously, the Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin considered the administration of booster vaccines to non-healthcare workers unethical at this time. This is because many people have yet to receive the coronavirus vaccine, even the first dose.

Similar sentiments were expressed by vaccinologist Dirga Sakti Rambe. According to Dirga, administering booster vaccines to the general public will not have a significant impact. The reason is that efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic can only be done by building herd immunity, not individual immunity.

This online survey was conducted among 8,299 respondents from August 6-22, 2021. Of this number, 6,468 respondents stated that they had received the coronavirus vaccine.