JAKARTA, Dec 31 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesia signed agreements on 100 million vaccine procurements, with U.S. biotechnology company Novavax and British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, a government minister said.
Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said, the agreements were carried out by Indonesian pharmaceutical company, Indofarma, with Novavax, to procure 50 million doses of vaccine, and domestic vaccine manufacturing corporation, Bio Farma, with AstraZeneca, to provide another 50 million doses.
“Purchasing the vaccines from the two big companies in the world, provides sufficient variety for the Indonesian people and we can use them later,” Sadikin told a virtual press conference.
According to the agreements, Sadikin hoped the vaccines would arrive in Indonesia in the second quarter of next year.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, said that, an additional 1.8 million doses were expected to arrive today from Chinese company, Sinovac Biotech.
“With this addition, the Sinovac vaccine that arrives in Indonesia will be three million doses,” Marsudi added.
The government hopes process of agreements on all vaccine procurements can be done within two weeks. After that, the government will formulate a way to distribute the vaccines throughout Indonesia.
Indonesia targets around 426 million doses to achieve immunity and break the chain of transmissions.
The first period of vaccination will be from Jan to Apr, 2021, for inoculating 1.3 million medical workers, 17.4 million public workers, and 21.5 million elderly people.
The second period will run from Apr, 2021 to Mar, 2022.– NNN-ANTARA
