In the first phase, the city administration has targeted vaccinating some 290 thousand residents, or 20 percent of the 1.4 million people that will partake in the vaccination program, spokesman of the city's COVID-19 Task Force, Dadang Wihana, stated.
Wihana was quoted by ANTARA in Depok, West Java Province, on Thursday that 1.4 million people, or 60 percent of Depok's total population, will come under the city government's vaccination program.
Drawing reference to the Indonesian Health Ministry's directives, Wihana noted that the prioritized COVID-19 recipients are health and public service workers in the age group of 18 to 59 years.
The COVID-19 vaccination program for the remaining 40 percent of Depok residents will be conducted after the Indonesian Government's COVID-19 Task Force arrives at its decision, he stated.
Ahead of the convening of the first phase of the vaccination program in November and December 2020, the Depok city government held a simulation of the vaccine injections at the Tapos Public Health Center on Thursday.
According to Acting Depok Mayor Dedi Supandi, the city administration has yet to receive the vaccine stock, but the simulation is held as an anticipatory measure in connection with the future vaccination program that aligns with the authorized agency's standard operating procedures.
Supandi noted that the local residents will be inoculated at all public health centers in the city based on the availability of vaccine stocks.
An Indonesian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, had informed World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Indonesia's plan to conduct COVID-19 vaccination in the near future.
"We have informed him of Indonesia's vaccination plan and commitment to maintaining coordination and communication with the WHO over stages of the vaccination, starting from preparation to implementation," Marsudi had stated last week.
Over the span of the past few months, the Indonesian government has striven to ensure adequate supply of vaccines for the entire nation.
To explore potential cooperation for the procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Marsudi, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, and a team from the Health Ministry undertook an official visit to the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Marsudi had earlier revealed that during the visit, the Indonesian delegates had deliberated on matters pertaining to the COVAC Initiative with related parties, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI).
Under the COVAX Initiative, once COVID-19 vaccines are available, they will be procured through the UNICEF Supply Division.
Under the cooperation scheme, the UNICEF has been mandated to coordinate the procurement and supply of the COVID-19 vaccine for over 140 countries, including Indonesia, to allow each nation to have equal access and outreach to the vaccine.
The Indonesian delegation's visit to the UK and Switzerland is also aimed at boosting mid- and long-term cooperation between state pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma and its overseas partners, Marsudi explained.
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Feru L, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
