This arrival marks the 120th batch of vaccines donated by the Australian government.
"The Indonesian government is appreciative and grateful to the Australian government for these vaccine donations," Usman Kansong, the Communications and Information Ministry's director general of information and public communication, noted in his statement.
Indonesia had also earlier received AstraZeneca vaccine donations from the Australian government.
For instance, in October 2021, the Australian government had sent the same quantity of AstraZeneca vaccines to Indonesia.
"This shows the close relations between the two neighboring countries, including in the efforts to handle the pandemic," Kansong affirmed.
Cooperation between countries in the world is crucial in the efforts to handle the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed many lives, he affirmed.
Indonesia is also partaking in the efforts to develop and transfer knowledge on COVID-19 vaccines for the Asia-Pacific to expedite the region's recovery.
"Indonesia actively fights for vaccine access equity for nations in the world," he expounded.
Indonesia will also continue to focus on expediting and expanding COVID-19 vaccination.
Realizing herd immunity in Indonesia is quite a challenge on account of the nation's geographic conditions and population.
Kansong ensured that as the year comes to a close, the Indonesian government will bolster its efforts to accelerate and expand the vaccination program in order to achieve the planned target.
Expanding and expediting the national vaccination program would require the cooperation of every element of society in addition to the people's participation as its most important element.
"Meanwhile, the government also reminds citizens to continue to adhere to the health protocols," he added.
Related news: Indonesia again receives 680,100 doses of AstraZeneca
Related news: Indonesia welcomes batch of AstraZeneca doses from Japan
Translator: Livia K, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
