Jakarta. Private healthcare operator Siloam Hospitals is rolling out Covid-19 vaccines for senior citizens at Lippo Mall Kemang in South Jakarta.

Siloam Hospitals TB Simatupang director Harijanto Solaeman said the Jakarta Health Agency has assigned Siloam to assist the vaccination for the elderly population, who have already registered with the Health Ministry.

"If I remember correctly, there are 13,549 senior citizens for the first phase. As instructed, we will vaccinate 2,035 people for the next week or ten days. This is for the first phase," Harijanto said in Jakarta on Thursday.

Siloam hopes to bring in 200 people for the Covid-19 jab per day. They will also help inoculate the vaccine recipients from other locations at the mall, as instructed by the city’s health agency. The Lippo-owned hospital also deploys two vaccinator teams of three to four people for this program.

“Hopefully, we can vaccinate 200 people in five hours,” Harijanto said.

According to Harijanto, the vaccine in use is a two-dose. The time gap between each dose also differs depending on the age group. The younger population has to wait for 14 days before receiving the second dose. Whilst the senior citizens can only take the second dose 28 days after the first shot.

Siloam Hospitals will also continue to support the government’s efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

The program targets people aged 60 years and older. The recipients must also undergo screening before receiving the vaccine. 

“But they initially have to check whether their diabetes mellitus and other comorbid diseases are under control. If not, it is best not to register or postpone the vaccination until [the condition] is under control,” Fify Mulyani, Jakarta’s head of public health office, said.

Jakarta’s health agency initially opened 73 health facilities which comprises 30 regional general hospitals and 43 public health clinics. They later added 10 private hospitals with 2 hospitals in each city, including Siloam.

People can register for a Covid-19 vaccine via the dki.kemkes.go.id website. The recipients, however, must be a Jakarta identity card holder. 

Fify hopes people can sign up on the website before visiting the vaccination clinic to prevent crowding. 

“After signing up, wait for the announcement from the health facility. For instance, Siloam notifies the recipients via SMS blast or WhatsApp,” Fify said.

More than 260,000 senior citizens have signed up for the vaccine, and this number will continue to increase. The government will also divide the recipients among the available health facilities, so they will get their Covid-19 jab in turns, she added.

Vaccine recipient Siska said getting the shot did not hurt at all. She admitted to being extremely nervous at first, but everything went smoothly. “Siloam is professional and organized. I knew of this vaccination program from social media.” 

Likewise, Endy —who had booked his vaccine appointment online— did not feel any pain. “I thought it would hurt, but turns out it was really cool. I was scared at first, but I did not feel anything. Thank you for this event,” he said.