Moderna Vaccine Begins To Be Distributed To The General Public

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health has started distributing the Moderna type of COVID-19 vaccine to be injected to target groups of the general public in all provinces in Indonesia.

"The Moderna vaccine, which was allocated in the second week of August 2021, is to meet the need for two doses at once", said Health COVID-19 Vaccination Spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, quoted by Antara, Thursday, August 12.

Nadia said the Moderna vaccine was given in two doses to vaccinated participants with an interval of four weeks from the first dose.

To date, Indonesia has received a grant of Moderna vaccine from the Covax Facility with a total of 8 million doses. A total of 3 million doses of which have been allocated to 1.4 million health workers as boosters.

According to Nadia, the remaining 5 million doses are in the process of being distributed to all regions to be allocated to the general public.

Nadia said the vaccine made by the US company is a COVID-19 vaccine with an mRNA platform with modified nucleosides that can form immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus so that it can prevent COVID-19 disease.

In a circular letter Number SR.02.06II/2025/2021 signed by Secretary-General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, on August 4, 2021, the Ministry of Health directs that Moderna vaccines be stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of minus 25 degrees Celsius to minus 15 degrees Celsius in health service facilities.

Meanwhile, in health care facilities, said Nadia, it can be stored in a 'vaccine refrigerator' at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

According to Nadia, Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is given to participants who have never received a COVID-19 vaccination.

"The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be used optimally as stated in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine factsheet", she said.

Vaccines and logistics, said Nadia, will be distributed to their respective provincial health offices so that they can then coordinate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to cities/districts by applicable regulations.

"Considering the importance of this, we submit a request to the Regional Government to facilitate Moderna's COVID-19 vaccination services for the community, so that the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccination interventions can run well", said Nadia.