TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Covid-19 Task Force said that Indonesia is able to produce up to 300 million syringes next year. The syringes would be needed for injection once a vaccine for Covid-19 is found.

The Task Force's spokesman, Wiku Adisasmita, said Indonesia would at need at least 100 million syringes.

Right now, he said, the domestic production capacity is 30 million syringes per year. The syringes are allocated for smallpox vaccination as well as other diseases. However, he said that Indonesia will be able to produce hundreds of millions.

"For now, state-owned company Indofarma is able to produce 100 million syringes for this year. Next year, the capacity will increase to 300 million," he said in a press conference, Tuesday, August 18.

Vaccine candidates are still being developed by many countries. In Indonesia, the closest candidate to reach the final stages of clinical trials is one made by Bio Farma, in collaboration with Chinese company Sinovac.

The vaccine candidate still has to go through clinical trials before it is declared safe and mass-produced. Bio Farma is targeting to start production and circulation in 2021.

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Egi Adyatama