Indonesia to start mass Covid vaccination next month using Chinese drugs, president claims
‘We will put pressure on the cases so they can stay flat and then we will hit it with the vaccines,’ Joko Widodo says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Indonesia will start a mass coronavirus vaccination campaign by the end of the year, the southeast Asian country’s president has said.
President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, told Reuters that plans were already underway to distribute the vaccine across the entire archipelago.
If the country’s food and drug agency, known as BPOM, grants approval, the country of 270 million people will be among the first in the world to vaccinate against Covid-19.
"We expect to start the vaccination process by the end of this year following a series of tests by BPOM," Mr Widodo said.
Indonesia has suffered southeast Asia’s largest coronavirus caseload, with around 15,000 deaths and 450,000 infections, as it struggled to suppress the virus for months.
"We will put pressure on the cases so they can stay flat and then we will hit it with the vaccines," Mr Widodo told Reuters on Friday.
Later in the day, Indonesia reported a record daily number of infections at 5,444, well above the daily average of fewer than 3,500 cases over the last two weeks.
Mr Widodo added that ensuring the safety of the vaccine was a priority, and that health workers, police and the military would be first in line when the vaccination campaign begins.
Indonesia’s coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, Luhut Pandjaitan, said the government expects BPOM approval in the first week of December and for the country to “begin vaccinating” two weeks later.
Vaccines produced by China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm are slated to be used in the early stages of the campaign.
The companies will provide 18 million vaccines this year, including 15 million that will be manufactured by Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma.
Indonesia has deals for more than 250 million doses until the end of 2021, including 30 million produced by US company Novovax, co-ordinating minister for the economy, Airlangga Hartarto, told Reuters.
Indonesia’s economy has contracted at a slower pace than other countries in the region over the last two quarters, and Mr Widodo said the economy trend was “encouraging”.
"Hopefully, this (vaccination campaign) will give a positive economic impact. This is very important to us."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments