The third dose (booster) vaccination is currently taking place in Jakarta. This vaccination is intended for 18 years and over, including the elderly. Something intrigues us regarding the booster vaccination of the elderly. As we know, the Jakarta Provincial Government has made various efforts to make the registration and implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination more efficient, one of which is through registration via JAKI. However, what about the elderly who are in general not very tech-savvy? We have summarised some things that need to be considered for the elderly regarding booster vaccination. Read the following article to find out.

Check the Eligibility of the Covid-19 Booster Vaccination

When you find out that the Jakarta Provincial Government has encouraged residents to get booster vaccines, the first thing that might cross your mind is how to find out whether you are eligible for the booster shot. The elderly vaccine recipients may think the same. For the vaccination to run smoothly for the elderly, adults in the family, or the surrounding environment can help the elderly to check the eligibility of the booster vaccination digitally. The steps are easy-peasy, as follows.

1. Open the JAKI app
2. Click the Pendaftaran Vaksinasi Covid-19 banner

3. Enter your ID Card number and full name according to your ID card. Click Check

What if the booster shot appointment has not been scheduled? That means he/she still needs to wait 6 months after the second dose of vaccines. Please check back on the status periodically. If it has been more than 6 months since the primary vaccination course, he/she will immediately be scheduled for a booster vaccination.

Ensuring Elderly Health for Booster Vaccinations

To get a Covid-19 booster shot, of course, the vaccine recipient must be healthy and not recently tested positive for Covid-19. In addition, at the vaccination site, prospective vaccine recipients will also be screened for a physical examination before being administered. The examination includes checking body temperature and blood pressure and answering questions related to the health condition of prospective vaccine recipients. While this kind of check is sufficient, to support the readiness of the body condition of the vaccination recipients, especially for the elderly, additional recommendations will be given such as adequate rest and consumption of balanced nutrition before being vaccinated. Adequate rest can help stabilize blood pressure. Meanwhile, by getting a balanced nutritional intake, the immunity obtained after the Covid-19 vaccination will be more optimal.

Find Booster Vaccination Schedules and Locations Nearby

Before registering for the 3rd dose of vaccination, it would be better for the elderly to see the schedule and location of the vaccination first. That way, the elderly can choose the location closest to their homes to be more efficient and energy efficient. The vaccination schedule and location can be viewed on the Jakarta Respond Covid-19 website and can be filtered based on the name of the vaccination location, date of vaccination, type of health facility, vaccine name, region, sub-district, village, and vaccine dose. In the context of booster vaccination, you can start by selecting the third dose type. After that, you can freely use other filter features. The appropriate vaccination schedule and location will appear immediately.

If you think that accessing the website requires a lot of effort, Smartcitizen can also view the location and schedule of vaccinations via social media posts of @DKIJakarta or the notified messages on JAKI. Of course, if the elderly have difficulty accessing these things, you are strongly encouraged to help. Now, after knowing the schedule and location you want to choose, the next step is registration for booster vaccination.

Register for Booster Vaccination via JAKI

At the beginning of the article, the steps to check the eligibility of recipients of the Covid-19 booster vaccine is already explained. Basically, how to register for a booster vaccination via JAKI must also go through steps similar to that process. You can follow these steps to register the elderly for the Covid-19 booster vaccination.

1. Open the JAKI app
2. Click the Pendaftaran Vaksinasi Covid-19 banner
3. Enter your NIK and full name according to your ID card. Click Check

4. Read the terms and conditions of the Covid-19 booster vaccine. Then, click Ya, Saya Mengerti

5. Your booster vaccination status will appear. You can only register if the status of the 3rd dose of vaccination appears Sudah Terjadwal. To register, click Daftar Ulang Vaksinasi Dosis 3

6. Select Lansia vaccine recipient category and answer questions. Click Selanjutnya.

7. Choose the location and schedule of vaccinations as desired. Click Selanjutnya.

8. Fill in your personal data. Click Next

9. Complete personal data that has not been filled in on the next page. Click Next

10. Review the registration form. Make sure your personal data is correct. Click Ya. Saya Setuju. Then, click Kirim.

11. The speech and invitation for vaccination from the Governor of DKI Jakarta will appear. Click Ok, mengerti.

12. Congrats! Your registration for the Covid-19 booster vaccination was successful. Please fill in the pre-screening to speed up the vaccination process.

Things to Prepare Before Booster Vaccination

There are a number of things that need to be prepared before vaccination. Both of these are divided into administrative and non-administrative. For administrative purposes, you need to bring your ID card and pen to fill out the form at the vaccination location. Meanwhile, non-administrative matters that need to be prepared are one’s physical and mental health. Vaccination recipients, in this context the elderly, are advised not to over-exercise, avoid alcohol consumption for at least 2 days before getting vaccinated, get enough sleep for 7–9 hours, and manage stress. If you have a chronic disease or immune disorder, consult yourself and follow the doctor’s advice before getting vaccinated.

Things to Anticipate After Booster Vaccination

The body of each vaccine recipient can have a different reaction to the vaccine. Elderly people may experience any of the following Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI), namely pain at the injection site, headache, muscle aches, self-pain, chills, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, fever (marked by temperature >37.8 degrees Celsius) and experience flu-like symptoms and shivering for 1–2 days. However, you may not experience these AEFIs, depending on your condition and body immunity. Therefore, vaccine recipients, including the elderly, need to follow the monitoring procedure from staff for 15 minutes at the vaccination site to ensure that there are no fatal AEFIs. If after discharge, the vaccine recipient experiences pain, swelling or redness at the injection site, compress the area with cold water. If they have a fever, compress with warm water, take fever-reducing medication as recommended by health workers, drink plenty of water, and rest. If the symptoms are serious, please contact the contact centre available at each vaccination service post, come to the nearest health facility, or report it via the security website keamananvaksin.kemkes.go.id. No worries, during the booster vaccination in Indonesia, research results showed that there were no indications of severe AEFIs.

Those are the things that need to be considered regarding booster vaccinations for the elderly. Basically, this also applies to other age categories of vaccine recipients. However, for the elderly there are usually difficulties in accessing information. For this reason, once again, adult assistance is needed so that the elderly can check the information on the schedule and location of the booster vaccination, register for the booster vaccination, so that they know what to pay attention to before and after being vaccinated. If you want to use JAKI to register for elderly vaccinations or get related information, download the application on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.