Indonesia has commenced its COVID-19 booster programme for the general public, Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday.

This booster rollout comes as the country hit an almost three-month high in cases amid the rise of the Omicron variant.

Elderly and immunocompromised residents are being prioritised in this booster programme.

President Joko Widodo announced Tuesday that boosters would be offered free for all those eligible, after initial discussion about charging for boosters sparked controversy.

This booster rollout, for which the COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac (Nasdaq:SVA), Astra Zeneca Plc (LON:AZN), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Zifivax have been approved, is running in parallel with the main COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Booster shots will be administered as half doses, in line with studies that confirmed the efficacy of that dosage, the country's health minister said.

Indonesia has pledged to vaccinate more than 208 million of its 270 million people. However, according to health ministry data, less than 56% of that target population has received two shots of a COVID-19 vaccine so far.

Experts say vaccine hesitancy and logistics in the country have slowed distribution.