Indonesia receives 1.2 million Chinese vaccine doses

Jakarta [Indonesia] - Indonesia has received 1.2 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine made by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech.

The world's largest archipelagic is now drafting the rules governing their distribution across the country, a task that is to be completed within two weeks, The Strait Times reported.

The vaccine doses arrived in Indonesia late Sunday on a flight from Beijing to Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport. They were taken to Bandung in West Java province to be stored at state drugmaker Bio Farma's facilities.

Another 1.8 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine will arrive in January.

During a media briefing on Monday, Indonesia's minister heading the national Covid-19 task force, Airlangga Hartarto said, "The arrival and availability of the vaccines will be gradual and so will the vaccination programme, which will be carried out gradually, with priority given to the medical workers and public service officers.""The government will adopt a dual approach for the vaccination programme, with some getting the shots for free and others covering the cost of their vaccination," The Strait Times quoted Hartarto as saying.

Late Sunday, President Joko Widodo welcomed the vaccine in the country and said that The Indonesian Drugs and Food Supervisory Agency (BPOM), will have to give emergency approval for the vaccination programme to start.

"Before roll-out, the distribution system across the country's 34 provinces including more than 500 regencies and cities must be finalised," Widodo said.

"Once we decide a date for our vaccination programme to start, everything will have to be ready," He said, adding that supporting equipment, human resources, and a distribution system must first be in place," he added.

The Strait Times quoted Finance Minister Mulyani Indrawati saying,"During the same briefing that her office has allocated funds for the health ministry, as well as the regional governments ( including cities and regencies), to operate the vaccination programme.""The government has procured hundreds of vaccine refrigerators and other supporting equipment, including vaccine carriers, cold boxes and syringes," Indrawati added.

The plan is for 107.2 million people aged 18 to 59 out of Indonesia's 270 million to be vaccinated. Those with pre-existing medical conditions or deemed unfit will not be included in the programme, The Strait Times further reported. 

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COURTESY indonesianews.net

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