The government continues to ensure COVID-19 vaccine availability in an effort to expedite and expand national vaccination to reach the 70-percent target by the end of 2021.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca doses that arrived today are the 124th batch that landed in Indonesia. Around four million doses of the vaccine were obtained through direct purchase.
With this arrival, the total number of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that Indonesia had received totaled 41.5 million doses, with the Vaxzevria and KconecaVac trademark for those made in China.
The vaccines, which were the result of cooperation between AstraZeneca and Oxford University, have been sent to Indonesia through a variety of schemes, including direct collaboration with the government, COVAX, and donation from other countries.
Meanwhile, the 800 thousand doses of Moderna vaccine that had arrived today is the 125th batch. This vaccine is a form of donation from the government of Netherlands to Indonesia.
Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate noted that in order to maintain vaccine availability and expedite vaccination, various vaccine supply efforts were made by the government, both through the direct purchase scheme and international cooperation.
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Indonesia also expressed its gratitude to the Netherlands for its donation of Moderna vaccine.
"This shows the close relations between the two countries, especially in handling the pandemic," Plate affirmed.
Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic situation is under control, the government continues to take preventive steps.
As the year end approaches, the Indonesian government will bolster efforts to accelerate and expand the vaccination program in order to achieve the planned target.
In addition, citizens are reminded to continue to maintain health protocols, especially during the increased mobility at the end of the year that could trigger a spike in COVID-19 cases.
The government has made several efforts to lower this risk, such as by removing end-of-the-year collective leave and applying Public Activity Restriction (PPKM) Level 3 from December 24, 2021 to January 2, 2022.
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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Z, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
