The vaccines have been procured through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
“So, the plane will come tonight with 3.8 million vaccines from AstraZeneca under the GAVI scheme," the Health Minister said at an online press conference originating from the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday.
Furthermore, another 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in May, 2021, he added.
Based on the results of discussions between the Indonesian and Chinese governments, an additional 10-15 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech Ltd will arrive in April and May this year, Sadikin disclosed.
"There are additional Sinovac vaccines that will enter — between 10 million and 15 million — for the months of April and May. So my message to all ranks of regional heads is: let us inject more (people),” he said.
The minister admitted that the supply of COVID-19 vaccines had indeed depleted in the past. However, the supply constraints will not be repeated in May, he assured.
"For the month of May, the vaccine (stocks) will be quite a lot. For that, we will immediately return the injection phase to the previous one,” he informed.
By accelerating the COVID-19 vaccination program, the government hopes to drastically increase the number of citizens receiving the COVID-19 vaccine every day.
The government is targeting to inoculate 181.5 million Indonesians to create herd immunity against the coronavirus.
“So, hopefully, by August 17, 2021, we can give this gift for the birthday of the Republic of Indonesia,” the minister remarked.
"The number of people who have been vaccinated is quite a lot, so we can control this pandemic," Sadikin asserted. (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Indra A, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
