More raw material for the Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Indonesia. The availability of the vaccine is crucial to accelerate the vaccination drive and create herd immunity in the country.
By
Kompas Team
·5 minutes read
More raw material for the Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Indonesia. The availability of the vaccine is crucial to accelerate the vaccination drive and create herd immunity in the country.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Ten million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine raw material produced by Sinovac Biotech, China, arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday (2/2/2021). The raw material for the vaccine for this mass vaccination is part of the 140 million doses that will arrive gradually this year.
The arrival of the vaccine raw material was reviewed by the secretary-general of the Health Ministry, Oscar Primadi; the spokeswoman for the Covid-19 vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi; and the spokesman for the Covid-19 vaccination from state-owned pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma, Bambang Heriyanto; at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.
Bambang Heriyanto said that, in addition to 10 million doses of Sinovac vaccine raw material, 1 million doses of raw material were sent as extra volume to anticipate problems in the production process. "The delivery will be carried out in stages until July 2021," he said.
Meanwhile, the vaccine in the form of raw material arrived on Jan. 12, with 15 million doses plus 1 million doses of overfill, and production is to be completed on Feb. 11.
Previously, the finished Sinovac vaccine, called Coronavac, arrived in mid- and late December 2020 to vaccinate 1.5 million health workers in 34 provinces. Meanwhile, the vaccine in the form of raw material arrived on Jan. 12, with 15 million doses plus 1 million doses of overfill, and production is to be completed on Feb. 11.
According to Oscar, the Covid-19 vaccine produced by PT Bio Farma will be used to vaccinate 17.4 million public service officers, namely members of the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police and other personnel. The first phase of vaccination is for 1.5 million health workers.
As of Feb. 2, 2021, 596,260 health workers have received the first dose and 51,999 health workers have received the final dose. The target is to vaccinate a total of 1,531,907 health workers, part of the 181.5 million people targeted for inoculation overall.
In a number of regions, including Malang, Palembang and Ambon, the Covid-19 vaccination of health workers continues.
In Maluku, as many as 3,144 people or 21.1 percent of the 14,855 health workers have been vaccinated. Apart from disruption in the distribution of vaccines due to high sea waves, the online registration system has also hampered the vaccination process.
Vaccination posts can accommodate 1,000-4,000 people, so that mass vaccination can be carried out.
Nadia Tarmizi explained that Covid-19 vaccination needs to be carried out as quickly as possible with a broad target so as to create herd immunity. Apart from health facilities, such as hospitals and community health centers, the Covid-19 vaccine can also be given at designated vaccination posts. Vaccination posts can accommodate 1,000-4,000 people, so that mass vaccination can be carried out.
"This mass vaccination does not only apply to health workers but also to the next stage of the vaccination drive," Nadia said.
At least five regions are designated for mass vaccination. They include Makassar under the supervision of Wahidin Hospital, Semarang under the coordination of Dr Kariadi Hospital, Bandung under the coordination of Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Denpasar under the supervision of Sanglah Hospital, and Manado on Feb. 5 under the coordination of Kandou Hospital.
Previously, mass vaccination was carried out in Yogyakarta with a target of 4,000 recipients. Mass vaccination was also carried out in Jakarta and Surabaya.
Nadia said a number of preparations were necessary to support the smooth implementation of mass vaccination. These include, among other things, certainty in the flow of vaccine administration; certainty on the practice of strict health protocols; and the availability of supplies, such as syringes, waste disposal sites and personal protective equipment for the vaccinators.
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said that around 70 percent of health workers in his region had been vaccinated against Covid-19. The acceleration of vaccination is carried out under provincial supervision and with appreciation for regions that reach a wide range of health workers to be vaccinated. "In Central Java, the vaccination target is 24.5 million people. Among 171,105 health workers, 71.21 percent have been vaccinated," he said.
Public service officials
Apart from health workers, the Central Java provincial government is also preparing the vaccination of public service workers, which is estimated to start in March 2021. "Vaccinators have been readied to vaccinate public officials, such as TNI and police personnel and civil servants. We are also preparing the places for the vaccination," he said.
According to the plan, public service officials will be subject to vaccination in the stage following the vaccination of health workers. The target is that 17.4 million public service officials will be vaccinated, with an estimate to start in March 2021.
With regard to circulating information on independently purchased vaccination services, Nadia said that the government was still discussing a scheme for such vaccination services, or what is called gotong royong (communal work) vaccination. In the meantime, the communal work vaccination will be given through corporations, so that it can be given to employees free of charge.
For individual vaccine purchases, Nadia confirmed that there had not been any discussion regarding that. The government has yet to issue official regulations. "Vaccination is given free of charge to all residents. Gotong royong (communal work) vaccination is still under discussion. Now we first focus on giving vaccines to priority groups, such as health workers, public service workers and elderly citizens," she said.
Information previously issued by Pelni Hospital regarding the Covid-19 vaccination had raised some questions. This information contained a written price list, along with the types of vaccines and the criteria for vaccine recipients.
The management of PT Pertamina Bina Medika, which oversees Pelni Hospital, issued a press release stating that the information was indeed from Pelni Hospital on Feb. 2, 2021. However, this information was withdrawn due to a misunderstanding. Management said Pelni Hospital was not authorized to procure vaccines. (TAN/NTA/INA/TAM/DIA/FRN/COK/RAM/XTI/EGI/HRS/BRO/FLO/HLN)