Just like the previous vaccine distribution, we will distribute the vaccines after the program has been approved and after the Health Ministry has ordered us to allocate (the vaccines)
Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-run pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma will strive to ensure the availability of Sinovac vaccines which have been approved for use for children aged 6-11 years, a spokesperson has said.

“Just like the previous vaccine distribution, we will distribute the vaccines after the program has been approved and after the Health Ministry has ordered us to allocate (the vaccines),” spokesperson and secretary of Bio Farma, Bambang Heriyanto, informed in a written statement received here on Tuesday.



Related news: COVID-19: BPOM approves Sinovac vaccine for kids aged 6-11

From January to October 2021, Bio Farma has distributed 186.3 million Sinovac vaccine doses across Indonesia, he said. Meanwhile, the total COVID-19 vaccine doses from various brands that the firm has distributed between January and late October is 226.6 million, he added.



The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) recently issued a permit approving the Sinovac vaccine for children aged 6 to 11 years based on a safety and immunity assessment.


Related news: Health Minister ensures COVID-19 vaccine availability for next month

Head of BPOM, Penny Lukito, said that the permit was urgent considering that schools are starting to implement limited face-to-face learning.



In the clinical trial, similar results were obtained for side-effects of Sinovac in children aged 6-11 as recorded for the 11-17 age group, that is, about 11 percent to 17 percent of the total clinical trial subjects showed side-effects, she informed.



To boost communal immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government initiated a vaccination program across the nation on January 13, 2021. President Joko Widodo was the first vaccine recipient under the program.



The Indonesian government is targeting to inoculate 208,265,720 citizens under the program.

Related news: Minister Sadikin underlines importance of elderly vaccinations

Related news: Government keen that public avails best PCR test price: Ministry

Translator: Aji Cakti, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021