A total of 4,435,200 doses of AstraZeneca arrived in three phases in the 190th 191st and 192nd batches.
"All vaccines that arrived in these three batches were donations from COVAX," said Director General of Public Communication and Information at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Usman Kansong, in a statement received here, Sunday.
The 190th batch that arrived on Friday (7/1) in the country consists of 1,252,800 doses. Meanwhile, two batches of shots arrived on Saturday (10/1) with 1,852,800 doses in the 191st batch and 1,328,600 doses in the 192nd batch.
Kansong said that Indonesia has been active in establishing international and multilateral cooperation, including through the WHO Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator COVAX Facility.
The COVAX Facility is a global initiative aimed to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines globally.
He said that through COVAX, Indonesia is actively campaigning for equal access to vaccines for all countries. "Indonesia is playing an active role in ensuring equal access to vaccines for all countries in the world," he said.
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He ensured that the vaccines that arrived in the country will immediately be distributed proportionally to the areas that need it, under the national vaccination program.
The government is also set to have the program accelerated and expanded in order to fulfill the target of having the program completed in 2022.
"For that reason, the continuous arrival of vaccines is very important in order to ensure that vaccination program can go on smoothly," he said.
Aside from vaccine availability, acceleration efforts is also carried out by providing education for the people, especially on inaccurate or false news.
He said that in a number of areas, false news has slowed down vaccination efforts, as it imposed fear on the people.
The government, he continued, ensures that vaccines are safe and effective and that inoculation process is carried out properly. "The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and efficacious, it has received clearance from the food and drug agency. Do not hesitate and delay vaccination due to rumors or false news that are spreading," he said.
He also mentioned that vigilance also needs to be carried out following the emergence of the Omicron variant that have entered Indonesia. Therefore, the government appealed to the public to stay disciplined in maintaining health protocols.
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Translator: Livia K, Aria Cindyara
Editor: Suharto
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