TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Australia is delivering 500,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Indonesia, “as part of the partnership with strategic partners in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Australian Embassy in Jakarta announed on September 3.

This delivery is an important component of Australia’s health response package for Indonesia announced in July. It added to the already delivered packages of 1000 ventilators, 700 oxygen concentrators and 20,000 rapid antigen tests.

These vaccine doses are the first installment of Australia’s commitment to share 2.5 million AstraZeneca doses with Indonesia in 2021. It has now shared over 2.5 million doses with the Indo-Pacific region, as part of a total commitment to share 20 million doses by mid-2022.

According to the Embassy’s statement, Australia is providing AUS$101.9 million to support Indonesia’s national vaccine rollout through the AUS$523 million regional Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative.

This includes funding for vaccine procurement through UNICEF and delivery support through the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO, and the Australia Indonesia Health Security Partnership. The Australian government works closely with Indonesia and regional partners to improve access to vaccines and support the shared economic recovery from the pandemic.

Read: Indonesia Receives 500,000 AstraZeneca Vaccine Doses from Australia

Tempo.co