Head Of The COVID-19 Task Force Doni Monardo Becomes A Vaccine Volunteer

Chairperson of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo (Photo: Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the COVID-19 Task Force and Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo has registered himself as a COVID-19 vaccine volunteer.

Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that Doni's participation as a vaccine trial volunteer was a form of the government's commitment to ensure safety to the community.

"The head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo has registered himself as a volunteer for the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. This is a form of the government's commitment to strive to provide maximum protection to all Indonesians through the vaccination program," Wiku said on the YouTube account of the Presidential Secretariat, Thursday , August 13th.

Doni is the second person as a government figure or official to become a vaccine volunteer, after West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.

Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Chief Executive of the COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery Task Force Erick Thohir were declared unable to volunteer for vaccines because they did not meet the requirements.

Furthermore, Wiku said that currently the vaccine has been tested on volunteers. Last Tuesday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) witnessed the trial of the injection of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was tested on 1,620 volunteers in Bandung, West Java.

"We are getting closer to finding a vaccine that can protect the whole society," he concluded.

It is hoped that in January 2021, Indonesia will be able to produce at the same time, when production is ready, the vaccine can be immediately given to all people in the country.

The vaccine that was injected into 1,620 volunteers was a vaccine developed by Indonesia, in this case PT. Bio Farma with the Chinese vaccine company Sinovac.

On the other hand, said the President, in the last three months, vaccine development has also been carried out by the Eijkman Institute, BPPT, LIPI, BPPOM, Kemenristek and a number of universities.