KPAI Survey: 47% of Children Received COVID-19 Vaccine to Minimize Severity of Infection

According to a survey by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) on preparations for face-to-face learning and the COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged 12-17 years, 36% of children have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

47% of child respondents stated that their reason for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine was to build antibodies against the COVID-19 virus, hoping that if infected, they would only experience mild symptoms. Other reasons included building immunity (25%), ensuring safety during face-to-face learning (PTM) (24%), and persuasion from parents and others (2% each).

The majority of children obtained information about the 12-17-year-old vaccination program from their parents (37%), schools/madrasahs (30%), and social media (21%).

Meanwhile, the KPAI also cited reasons why children aged 12-17 years have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine. The majority of children (57%) stated that they had not yet been vaccinated because they had not had the opportunity.

For information, this survey, conducted from August 3-9, involved 86,286 student respondents from elementary schools (SD), junior high schools (SMP), senior high schools (SMA), and special needs schools (SLB).