We have ordered the vaccine and are awaiting its delivery.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is importing COVID-19 vaccine and striving to independently develop the vaccine, in its quest to maintain the vaccine supplies, according to a spokeswoman.

The vaccination program has run in accordance with the plan, with some seven million doses of the vaccine been distributed nationwide, spokeswoman for COVID-19 vaccine at the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmidzi noted in a written statement released on Wednesday.

The roadmap stipulates that some 1.46 million healthcare workers will receive the vaccine shots until April 2021, Tarmidzi remarked.

In the meantime, the number of senior citizens and public service officers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is estimated to touch 21.5 million and 16.9 million respectively, the spokeswoman revealed.

The government is eyeing to vaccinate 181,554,464 people, or 70 percent of Indonesia’s total population, with the objective of creating herd immunity against the coronavirus.

Tarmidzi believes that the availability of vaccines will undoubtedly ease the implementation of the vaccination program and depend on the production capacity of vaccine producers.

"We have ordered the vaccine and are awaiting its delivery," she stated.

The spokeswoman drew attention to four ways to fulfill the COVID-19 vaccine requirements that comprise purchasing the finished vaccine, being part of the Covax facility and producing vaccine under a cooperation scheme between domestic and foreign pharmaceutical firms, and developing the local vaccine Merah Putih named after the national flag.

Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Prof. Wiku Adisasmito had emphasized recently that the government’s plan to vaccinate 181.5 million Indonesians against the coronavirus hinges on the availability of vaccines.

"As we know, the vaccine stocks are limited, and all (vaccine producers) are striving to speed up production," Adisasmito remarked during an online discussion originating here on Saturday (Feb 13)

The spokesperson opined that in addition to limited vaccine stocks, a mutation of the virus could pose a threat to the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to people in the country.

The number of people to be vaccinated does not align with the availability of vaccines, he pointed out. Consequently, all countries, including Indonesia, are competing with one another to obtain vaccines from suppliers, he pointed out.

"Certain Indonesian regions, including Jakarta, can achieve the target of vaccinating one million people in a day. However, other regions will encounter difficulties in achieving the target due to geographical constraints," the spokesperson pointed out.

Hence, the vaccination program may last longer or be faster than expected, he stated.

To expedite the vaccination program, the current vaccine stocks should suffice for 181.5 million Indonesians, Adisasmito pointed out.

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Translator: Boyke Ledy W/Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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