As many as 181 million people in Indonesia have been targeted to receive COVID-19 vaccinations so that herd immunity can be achieved. Meanwhile, regional administrations are making preparations for mass vaccination.
By
Kompas Team
·6 minutes read
AFP/BAY ISMOYO
An employee works on the production line of COVID-19 coronavirus vaccines at the Bio Farma Pharmacy, which will produce the vaccine early next year with a production capacity of 250 million vaccines a year, in Bandung, West Java on August 12, 2020. - Indonesia on August 11 launched human trials of a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine with some 1,600 volunteers slated to take part in the six-month study.
As many as 181 million people in Indonesia have been targeted to receive COVID-19 vaccinations so that herd immunity can be achieved. Meanwhile, regional administrations are making preparations for mass vaccination.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government is attempting to procure 329 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from four companies. However, the government may increase the figure and procure as many as 334 million doses. This could secure a sufficient supply to vaccinate the targeted 181 million people.
The vaccination will be carried out after Indonesia Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, an independent agency, is consulted. At the first stage, 1.3 million health workers will be vaccinated. The second group prioritized to receive vaccination consists of 21.5 million people who are over 60 years of age. Then, the vaccine will be given to the rest of the public.
Currently, several regions have started making preparations for COVID-19 vaccination. The preparations include, among others, establishing storage and distribution facilities for the vaccines, providing the required data and educating the public about the vaccination program.
Herd immunity
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that in order to achieve herd immunity in Indonesia, at least 181 million people had to get vaccinated. This figure is based on the number of Indonesians who are 18 years and older, 188 million people, minus those who have comorbidities, former COVID-19 patients and pregnant women.
If each person receives two doses of the vaccine, Indonesia needs 362 million of doses to meet its vaccination target. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends governments have a reserve of vaccines of at least 15 percent of their need. Thus, Indonesia will need 426 million doses.
“The government is working hard to procure the required number of vaccines. To date, there are five procurement channels that we are working on,” said Budi Gunadi during an online press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (29/12/2020).
The four bilateral partnerships refer to vaccine procurement contracts with Sinovac, a Chinese company, Novavax, an American-Canadian company, AstraZeneca, a British company, and BioNTech-Pfizer, a German-American company.
The five procurement channels consist of four bilateral partnerships and one multilateral partnership. The four bilateral partnerships refer to vaccine procurement contracts with Sinovac, a Chinese company, Novavax, an American-Canadian company, AstraZeneca, a British company, and BioNTech-Pfizer, a German-American company.
Kompas
A medical worker gives coronavirus vaccine candidate to a volunteer during a trial at a community health center in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. Indonesia\'s only vaccine production company has started this week a so-called phase 3 clinical trials to test a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by a Chinese company. (AP Photo/Kusumadirezza)
The contract with Sinovac, which has been signed, will allow Indonesia to procure 125 million doses of the vaccine with an option of acquiring a further 100 million doses. The Indonesian government has signed a contract with Novavax as well to procure 130 million doses, split into 50 million doses of firm orders and the rest as an optional supply.
The contract with AstraZeneca will be quickly signed to procure another 100 million doses, which are split into 50 million doses of firm orders and 50 million doses as an optional supply. The government will also strike a deal with BioNTech-Pfizer to procure 100 million doses, which are split equally into firm orders and optional supplies like its contract with AstraZeneca.
“We hope that the finalization of our contracts with AstraZeneca and Pfizer can be done in the near future,” said Budi Gunadi.
Meanwhile, through a multilateral partnership with GAVI, an international organization that promotes access to vaccination, Indonesia has been promised free doses of vaccines. While the exact number of free doses remains unclear, it is predicted to range from 16 million to 100 million. The uncertainties surrounding the number of vaccines that will be procured from the GAVI partnership have caused the bilateral contracts with foreign companies to be padded with optional supplies.
“We will secure 330 million doses of firm orders and another 300 million doses of optional supplies. So the total will be 660 million doses. In this regard, we will have enough reserves of vaccine if some fail to pass clinical trials or get delayed in delivery,” said Budi Gunadi.
In the first stage, 1.3 million health workers will receive a vaccination. In other countries, health workers are also prioritized to receive vaccination because they are at the forefront of the COVID-19 response.
Furthermore, several other vaccines, such as the one developed by Pfizer, were clinically tested on people over 60 years old.
Regarding those who are over 60 years of age, vaccination will be carried out at the third stage, after it is ensured that the vaccine is safe for the elderly. The phase three clinical trials of Sinovac vaccine have been conducted on volunteers ranging from 18 to 59 years old. In Turkey and Brazil, the vaccine has been clinically tested as well on elderly people. Furthermore, several other vaccines, such as the one developed by Pfizer, were clinically tested on people over 60 years old.
Kompas
Members of the medical staff look at phials containing a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine during their defrozen operation at the UZ Leuven Hospital, in Leuven on December 27, 2020 as Belgium prepares to start tommorow its national vaccination campaign to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Health Ministry has authorized the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to determine the range of ages that can receive vaccinations. The BPOM is currently observing phase three clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines.
Regional preparations
A number of regions have started making preparations for COVID-19 vaccination. South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah said refrigeration equipment was being prepared and the clinical data of residents was being compiled.
The Lampung administration is also preparing the required facilities and specialists to carry out a mass vaccination campaign as well as counting the number of residents who will receive vaccinations.
The Riau Islands Health Agency predicts that the province will need around 3.64 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The Riau Islands administration is also preparing storage and distribution facilities for the vaccine.
The Southeast Sulawesi administration is allocating a budget of Rp 500 million to educate residents about the vaccination plan so that there is not widespread panic when the mass vaccination is conducted. In Papua, the local health agency will carry out vaccination in areas where COVID-19 transmission is most rampant, namely the regencies of Jayapura and Mimika.
AFP PHOTO/INDONESIAN MINISTRY OF STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES
This handout photo taken on August 4, 2020 and received on August 5 from Indonesia\'s Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) shows SOE Minister Erick Thohir (C) visiting the Bio Farma Pharmacy that will produce vaccines for COVID-19 coronavirus in Bandung, West Java.
Epidemiologist Ramadhan Tosepu from Halu Oleo University emphasized the importance of finalizing vaccination steps prior to the mass vaccination.
According to a report from COVID-19 task force on Tuesday (29/12), the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had increased by 7,903 on that day, bringing the cumulative tally to 727,122 cases. The positivity rate in Indonesia stands at 20.5 percent, which means that for every five people tested, one tests positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased by 251.
Virus mutation
To anticipate the emergence of new mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the government has asked hospitals to send samples of their tests to laboratories that work under the coordination of the Health Ministry and the Research and Technology Ministry. Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) COVID-19 task force head Zubairi Djoerban said that while the new mutation of SARS-CoV-2 could lead to faster virus transmission, it was not more fatal than the previous mutations detected. Furthermore, PCR tests are still able to detect the new virus strain. Vaccine research now includes the new virus mutation.
People must become more alert following the emergence of the new virus strain. Budi Gunadi has urged the public to remain disciplined in wearing face masks, washing hands and maintaining distance.
(This article was translated byAstria Zahra Nabila)
