After Receiving Sinovac, Indonesia Eyes COVAX's Vaccines in 2021

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is currently eyeing the WHO-initiated global facility of COVAX for procuring the COVID-19 vaccine through the next year, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated after receiving 1.2 million vaccine doses of China-based Sinovac.

"One of the requirements is the vaccine request form to the COVAX Facility. The Ministry of Health has just sent it today, December 7, to meet its deadline," Marsudi stated during a virtual press conference held for the vaccine’s arrival on Monday.

"Several other steps would thereafter be taken by the end of this year. We hope that the multilateral vaccine would gradually arrive here in Indonesia in 2021," she noted.

The Indonesian government received 1.2 million doses of the vaccine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic developed by Sinovac Biotech on Sunday (December 6) evening, as a part of the first batch of direct shipment from China, reaching a total of three million doses.

Another 1.8 million doses are expected to arrive in January 2021.

"Vaccine bulks reaching as many as 15 million doses would arrive by this month and 30 million doses in January, and Bio Farma shall proceed with the further process," President Joko Widodo stated during his recorded speech on this matter.

From the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, COVAX, which was co-initiated by WHO, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Indonesia could secure three to 20 percent of the vaccine supply of the country's total population, Marsudi remarked.

Apart from bilateral diplomatic relations for vaccine procurement with China coupled with multilateral efforts under the COVAX Facility, Indonesia has also initiated cooperation with British developer, AstraZeneca, for vaccine development since last October.

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