In its efforts to accelerate the progress of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Indonesian government through its COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPCPEN), has introduced two pediatric professors, Prof. Dr. dr. Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro and Prof. Dr. Kusnandi Rusmil, dr., Sp.A(K), M.M. to lead the research, development and testing of the vaccine.
Concurrent to collaborating with the professors, KPCPEN is also strategically collaborating with the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) Immunization Task Force, as well as a sanctioned COVID-19 Vaccine-Testing Team.
Prof. Sri Rezeki has also been chosen as the reigning Chief of Satgas Imunisasi IDAI, as well as The Chief of Indonesia Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI).
THE LARGER TREND
Countries around the world race are preparing and planning for mass immunization programs as COVID-19 vaccine candidates by various pharma companies are undergoing late stage trials. However, these vaccine candidates, if successful, need to be safe from adverse side effects, especially when being administered to large populations of people.
Singapore’s Ministry of Health has appointed a 14-member Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination to make recommendations to the government on Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, and ensure the safe and effective use of COVID-19 vaccines for its population, according to its official announcement on 12 November.
In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has paid Genpact UK a tender of £1.5m to develop an AI tool to sift through the high volume of reports of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, Healthcare IT News reported.
ON THE RECORD
“Immunization is something that must be fought for by the Indonesian government to prevent various infectious diseases that affect both children and adults. Furthermore, Indonesia Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) must also work hard to increase the scope of immunization in Indonesia. This is because diseases that often turns into pandemics can usually be prevented by immunizations,” Prof. Kusnandi mentioned during his dialogue with Prof. Sri Rezeki at the KPCPEN Media Center on 10 November, 2020.
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