The Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly does not run as fast as the younger group.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Internal Medicine Specialist-Geriatric Consultant Kuntjoro Harimurti said the Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly (elderly) group was not running as fast as other age groups due to several reasons. This includes comorbidities suffered by the elderly.
Kuntjoro admits that when you get older, everything changes.
“Due to the aging process, it is usually easier for people to have comorbidities and suffer more (comorbidities),” said Kuntjoro when speaking at the BNPB virtual conference with the theme Why Vulnerable Groups Need to Get Immediate Covid-19 Vaccination?, Thursday (10/3/2022) night .
He gave an example of comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM), high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease, which are definitely more common in the elderly than in the younger age group. However, he emphasized, comorbidities in the elderly are not actually a contraindication to the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine for this elderly group. He emphasized that elderly people who have comorbidities can get the Covid-19 vaccine as long as they are under controlled or controlled conditions.
“The key word is that even though you have these comorbidities, you still have to control it (then just get the Covid-19 vaccine),” he said.
On the same occasion, the Head of the Indonesia Technical Advisory Group On Immunization (ITAGI), Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro added, actually the Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly and other age groups is no different.
“The purpose of vaccination is to form immunity against severe disease infections. To form immunity requires a good immune response,” he said.
In fact, he said the elderly had a slight decrease in the function of the body’s organs in making the immune response so that the antibodies formed in the elderly were different from children and adults. However, he added, in principle, the Covid-19 vaccine for the elderly could still be given. In fact, the dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for the elderly and the side effects are no different.
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