YLKI: The Government Should Not Circally Circulate The COVID-19 Vaccine From The UAE

JAKARTA - The head of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), Tulus Abadi, appealed to the government through the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) not to rush in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine from the United Arab Emirates.

According to him, the state must really ensure the security and legality aspects in order to avoid unwanted things.

"I strongly ask the POM to work professionally and independently. "Public safety and security aspects must be the first and foremost priority," he told VOI in an official statement, Wednesday, January 6.

Tulus added that the credibility of BPOM as a drug supervisory authority in the country is quite at stake in this case. Although the COVID-19 vaccination program is a strategic part of the government in warding off the impact of the pandemic.

"Do not let the UAE be expelled, but only because there is pressure from certain parties, so that the potential to ignore professionalism and aspects of security and safety is at stake," he said.

Sincere's statement is quite reasonable. The reason is, he noted that the vaccines from the UAE have not met the aspect of the validity of the distribution from the BPOM.

"Vaccines have been distributed throughout Indonesia and the execution will soon be carried out. It is estimated that by mid-January the vaccination will be available. On the other hand, the EUA permit from the POM has not yet been issued, "he said.

As previously reported, Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito said that President Jokowi's vaccination plan will be carried out on January 13, even though the UAE for the Sinovac vaccine has not yet issued BPOM.

"The President will receive the vaccine if the vaccine has been obtained by the UAE from the POM," Wiku said in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube account of the Presidential Secretariat, Tuesday, January 5.

He said this decision was based on the government's principle of following applicable health procedures.

"Vaccine injection in Indonesia will be carried out when the emergency use of authorization of the vaccine is issued by the POM and everything is based on scientific data," he said.

Furthermore, he also explained the reason for the government to continue distributing the Sinovac vaccine even though it had not obtained the permit from the BPOM. He said this distribution was carried out to ensure the availability of vaccines when the vaccination program was ready to run.

"In essence, the distribution efforts that have been carried out are aimed at ensuring equal availability of vaccines with careful procedures by utilizing the available time," he said.