A total of 1.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines produced by Sinovac Biotech, China, have arrived in Indonesia.
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KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE / AFP
This handout photo taken on December 6, 2020 and released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace shows workers unloading the 1.2 million dosage of covid-19 vaccine made by Sinovac, upon its arrival from Beijing at the Jakarta International Airport in Tangerang.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A total of 1.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines produced by Sinovac Biotech, China, have arrived in Indonesia. However, mass vaccination still has to await the results of a scientific study and evaluation by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to ascertain the quality, safety and efficacy as well as an edict from the Indonesian Ulema Council for the halal status.
“I wish to convey good news. Today the government has received 1.2 million doses of vaccines against Covid-19,” said President Joko Widodo in a press statement broadcast through the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.
Garuda Indonesia flight number GIA 891D carrying the Covid-19 vaccines arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, at 21:30 West Indonesia Time. The Boeing 777-300 ER transported 1.2 million doses of vaccines from Beijing, China.
The President explained that the first 1.2 million doses of vaccines acquired by the government were produced by Sinovac Biotech, a pharmaceutical company from China. The Sinovac vaccines has undergone clinical trials in Bandung beginning in August.
The government strives to secure the arrival of 1.8 million Sinovac vaccines in the country in early January 2021. In an effort to control Covid-19, the government will also import 45 million doses of bulk vaccine basic materials to be processed by Biofarma. A total of 15 million doses of the vaccine basic materials will be received in December and the remaining 30 million doses will enter Indonesia in January 2021.
Although they cannot yet be directly utilized, the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines is good news for the control of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “We are grateful, thank God, the vaccines are available. It means we can prevent the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak soon,” said the President.
AP PHOTO/NG HAN GUAN
Syringes of SARS CoV-2 Vaccine for COVID-19 produced by SinoVac are displayed during a media tour of its factory in Beijing on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. A Chinese health official said Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, that the country\'s annual production capacity for coronavirus vaccines will top 1 billion doses next year, following an aggressive government support program for construction of new factories.
But several requirements must be met before carrying out mass vaccination. One of them is the granting of emergency use authorization (EUA) by the BPOM to guarantee the effectiveness of the vaccines.
Scientific consideration and an analysis of clinical trial results also have to be properly conducted for the sake of ensuring public health and safety. “Scientific consideration and clinical trial outcomes will determine when vaccination can be commenced,” added the President.
Distribution system
The other aspects requiring preparations before vaccination can begin are the system of distribution to regions, supporting equipment, human resources and vaccination management. For the smooth realization of the vaccination scheme, simulations have been carried out in a number of provinces.
The President has warned that residents should continue to comply with the health protocols despite the availability of vaccines. Discipline in wearing a face mask, keeping a distance from others and washing ones hands frequently will curb Covid-19 transmission and make the vaccine drive easier to implement.
On a separate occasion, Economic Coordinating Minister Airlangga Hartarto said the arrival of the 1.2 million Sinovac vaccine doses marked the initial moment of the government’s concrete move in the procurement of vaccines and execution of vaccination in Indonesia. “This at the same time delivers on the statement of the President that the people’s safety is the main priority in Covid-19 control,” he said.
The vaccines complement the testing, tracing and treatment (therapy), as well as face mask-wearing, handwashing and distancing (3M)
The Chairman of the Covid-19 Control and National Economic Recovery Committee described vaccines as complementing the various government and public efforts to break the chain of Covid-19. Carrying out vaccination constitutes an important attempt to end the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The vaccines complement the testing, tracing and treatment (therapy), as well as face mask-wearing, handwashing and distancing (3M). The three actions, 3T, 3M and vaccination, should go hand in hand until we get really free from the Covid-19 pandemic,” Airlangga pointed out.
INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE / AFP
This handout photo taken on December 6, 2020 and released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace shows workers unloading the 1.2 million dosage of covid-19 vaccine made by Sinovac, upon its arrival from Beijing at the Jakarta International Airport in Tangerang.
The vaccination will be carried out in phases. Healthcare workers and public service officers are prioritized in the first stage of vaccination based on the technical directives of the Health Ministry. Two vaccination programs are prepared by the government, which are free government vaccination and independent vaccination paid by the public. The government- subsidized vaccination will be coordinated by the Health Ministry and independent vaccination by the State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Ministry.
According to BUMN Minister Erick Thohir, 15 million more vaccine doses will arrive for the government aid program in December and will be distributed to 7.5 million people. The first phase of the independent vaccination program will cover Covid-19 red zones and economic areas impacted by Covid-19.
Pending the Covid-19 vaccine EUA from the BPOM, PT Bio Farma has prepared a digital system in response to the challenge of vaccination. The system developed along with PT Telkom integrates data from different ministries and other institutions. It includes the application to find out the genuineness of vaccines and regulate the process of their distribution.
Digital Health Care Director of Bio Farma Soleh Udin Al Ayubi said there were four phases in developing the digital system. One of them was the installation of detection technology in the form of barcodes on vaccine containers.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd has also sent 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses named CoronaVac to the biomedical center of Butantan Institute, Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the vaccine is in final-phase trials conducted by Butantan in 16 locations of Brazil. Sinovac will announce the results of their efficacy on 15 December 2020.
