Monday, 2022-12-12
The Indonesian government started the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program on January 13, 2021. The first person to receive the vaccine injection made by Sinovac was our President, Joko Widodo. The second phase follows a month later, on February 17th, 2021 with the first priority given to community groups with high interaction and mobility, such as Public Service officers, doctors, nurses, and groups of elderly 60 years and over.
All vaccination programs are carried out and held in many public spaces, such as schools, health centers, city parks, or even private properties owned by communities. Each vaccination location has a limited quota of vaccines, and the queues can usually be seen from the resulting traffic jams.
The government also developed a mobile application called PeduliLindungi (Care and Protect) to assist relevant government agencies in tracking the spread of Coronavirus Disease. This application relies on community participation to share location data when traveling and contact history tracking and tracing. When visiting public places like shopping malls, besides body temperature checks, we also must scan a QR Code at the entrance and show the result to the security officer.
FIRST DOSE – March 19, 2021
I arrived around 15:00, and look at my queue number 2162. The registration process was conducted outdoors and fairly quickly.
My first vaccination jab was on March 19, 2021, and I was 11 months younger than the specified age to be included in the priority group. The only vaccination venue that accepted seniors and elderly groups aged 59 and over was a convention hall in the national stadium complex. The complex covers a vast area and could accommodate thousands of visitors and parking. The place was busy with hundreds of vaccine recipients. There are stages that we have to go thru in every vaccination venue. The first stage is the registration counter to check your eligibility. The second stage is the health screening counter. You are required to fill out a form with a list of questionnaires regarding your current health issues, allergies, and medications you're currently taking, followed by a blood pressure test. Once you pass stages 1 and 2, you wait in line to receive your injection. After the injection, you'll be guided and seated in a designated area for a 15-minute observation to ensure no side effects. Your vaccination date, venue, and vaccine type will be recorded in the PeduliLindungi app with the issuance of a vaccination certificate.
SECOND DOSE – April 16, 2021
A couple of weeks after the first vaccination, I received a message thru WhatsApp and an invitation ticket on the PeduliLindungi app. The WhatsApp message detailed the time and venue for the follow-up second vaccination. This time, the designated place was a school in the East of Jakarta, and the date was April 16, 2021. Around this time, all schools had ceased operation and the facility turned into public vaccination centers.
THIRD DOSE – February 8, 2022
After the rollout of the second vaccination program, there was no definite date for the third (booster #1) vaccination until sometime toward the end of 2021. Eventually, the government announced the rollout of the third vaccination starting on January 12, 2022. I had my third jab (booster 1) on February 8th, 2022. It was held by a non-profit foundation, and the venue was right behind my housing complex. It was an empty, gated property, spacious, equipped 3 lanes drive-thru booths, and a roofed space with desks and chairs for waiting and administering vaccines. This time I received a half dose of Pfizer where my first and second vaccines were Sinovac. The following day I started developing a fever, runny nose, and cough which continued for the next 4 days. I was down and out!
FOURTH DOSE – December 8, 2022
The fourth vaccination (booster #2) was rolled-out starting on July 29, 2022, but intended only for around 4 million health workers. By then, there was no certainty when the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine would be given to the general public. Some sources said the availability of the fourth dose to the public depends on the number of second and third doses that have been administered. I figured this would take some time!
As of December 11, 2022, the achievement for completion of administering 4 doses is as follows:
Source: Vaksinasi COVID-19 Nasional
| Vaccination | Dose 1 | Dose 2 | Dose 3 | Dose 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completed % | 86.86% | 74.34% | 28.77% | 4.42% |
| Completed | 203.833.159 | 174.449.231 | 65.522.970 | 1.018.280 |
From the latest data released in 2022 by the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registry, Ministry of Home Affairs, Indonesia's population is recorded at 275,361,267. Only 85% or 234,666,020 people are targeted for vaccination (according to data from the Ministry of Health) including health workers, the elderly, public officers, vulnerable people, the general public, ages 12-17, and ages 6-11.
Source: Population Data
However, in the past few weeks, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has been on an increasing trend. As an effort to mitigate the increase in cases and the emergence of new subvariants, the government has begun to increase the coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations, both in full and booster doses. On November 22, 2022, the Ministry of Health permitted the administration of the second dose of COVID-19 booster vaccination, or the fourth injection, to seniors aged 60 and over.
The long-awaited moment has finally come. Last Thursday, December 8, when I checked the PeduliLindungi app out of curiosity, I saw that I already had an invitation ticket for a second booster shot. I did a little search on the Internet for the closest vaccination center, and there was one available at a nearby shopping mall with operating hours from 10:00 - 14:00, Monday to Saturday. Perfect!
Body temperature check and QR code scan with PeduliLindungi App is compulsory upon entering public places.
The designated vaccination area was on the 2nd floor equipped with approximately 100 chairs. The first step was to take a number and fill out a form. After that, we were told to sit and wait for our number to be called.
My number was 62, and the current number in service was 30, and the time was already around 11:20. Could take a while.
The guy in the black uniform called out the queue number, and the next guy on the desk was responsible for the registration, and the lady on the rightmost desk was responsible to check for blood pressure and verify the medical questionnaires we filled out on the form. Once you passed desks 1 and 2, you wait for the final step, the vaccine jab.
Unfortunately, by 11:50 they announced that there would be a 60-minute lunch break, and they would only serve queues up to number 40 only. They will resume operation at 13:00. Since we had already had our brunch just before we came, we decided to have a coffee at the food court and had a little window shopping.
The food court was starting to get busy. We saw groups of students in school uniforms having their lunch and more people coming in as we were finishing our coffee.
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After coffee, we still had time to take a short walk around the mall. I like the idea of having vaccination centers in shopping malls. It's more comfortable and cooler with air-conditioning and also enlivens the atmosphere in the mall. The food court will be busier with visitors for sure.
We came back around 13:15 and waited for another 30 minutes before my number was called. This time, I got a full dose of Pfizer as the fourth jab. The whole process took 3 hours, minus the 1-hour lunch break. It was not too bad considering there was only "1-lane" for service. This time the side effects were not as severe as the first booster. I only experienced a sore arm, a slight headache, and a little discomfort the next day, but nothing serious.
So, that summed up my vaccination history since 2021. The first two vaccination using Sinovac did not cause any discomfort or any side effects. The third (booster 1) using only a half dose of Pfizer knocked me out for 4 days and another week or so to fully recover. The recent second booster shot using a full dose of Pfizer has hardly caused any side effects at all. I guess my body's immune system has adapted to Pfizer. Anyway, please remember, just because you're vaccinated already, it does not mean that you're immune to Covid. I have many friends, even my own sister tested positive more than once despite having had booster shots. Keep safe and stay healthy.
Reference Date:
Vaccination 1
Vaccination 2
Vaccination 3/Booster 1
Vaccination 4/Booster 2
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A baby boomer who's trying to embrace and adapt to the new digital world. Worked for over 30 years in the IT industry before retiring and now run an online vegetable delivery and hydroponics equipment business. Enjoy traveling, cooking, writing, playing pool, and all IT-related stuff. You're always welcome to leave a comment or feedback, and an upvote or reblog is also greatly appreciated. |
