"Overall, Indonesia has received 225.4 million doses of vaccines from various brands, both in bulk and ready-to-use vaccines," the minister noted at a press conference here on Monday.
Airlangga later highlighted that as many as 225.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Indonesia in 50 stages, including five million doses of the Sinovac vaccine in finished form that recently arrived at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport on Monday afternoon.
“The additional five million doses produced by Sinovac just arrived this afternoon. This ensures that the vaccine stocks are safe," he affirmed.
The minister elaborated that the 225.4 million doses of vaccine comprised 33 million doses of Sinovac in finished form and 153.9 million in bulk, 19.5 million doses of AstraZeneca, eight million doses of Moderna, 2.75 million doses of Pfizer, and 8.25 million doses of Sinopharm.
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Hartarto urged the public to not hesitate, worry, or be picky about the type of vaccine since the government had ensured the safety, quality, and efficacy of the existing vaccines.
The minister also ensured that the COVID-19 vaccines received by Indonesia had cleared an evaluation process by the Drug and Food Control Agency (BPOM) as well as aligned with the recommendations from Indonesia and the Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI), WHO, and experts.
"There is no need to be picky, as the best vaccine is the one currently available," Hartarto affirmed.
The minister affirmed that the government will continue to expedite vaccination programs to achieve herd immunity by targeting 208.2 million Indonesians to be fully vaccinated.
"President Joko Widodo has ordered ministers and regional heads to accelerate vaccination and, of course, it needs to be distributed quickly to the community, so that herd immunity can be achieved evenly," he added.
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Translator: Astrid F H, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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