Bio Farma Says Countries Are Competing For COVID-19 Vaccines: US And UK Buy 3 Times Of Population

Illustration. (Photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The presence of the Covax Advance Market Commitment Engagement Group (COVAX-AMC EG) is a hope for Indonesia in securing vaccine availability. As is known, the struggle for vaccines by countries around the world is true.

President Director of PT Bio Farma Persero Honesti Basyir said that without the COVAC-AMC agency as a global vaccine alliance under the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO), it is likely that lower middle income countries will not get access to secure the COVID-19 vaccine for their citizens. .

Furthermore, Honesti said, a superpower like Britain has even bought vaccines three times the number of its citizens. This makes the availability of vaccines in the world limited.

"Without COVAX / GAVI, rich countries are more likely to buy vaccines. The United States and the UK alone have bought three times the total population. If there was no COVAX / GAVI, it is likely that low-middle income countries will not get it. vaccines, "he said, in a working meeting with Commission VI of the DPR RI, Wednesday, January 20.

Honesti said, it was not an easy thing for Indonesia to get the vaccine dose as needed. There needs to be cooperation between countries and vaccine producing countries so that domestic vaccine needs are met.

The government, said Honesti, has moved quickly in securing the availability of vaccines from COVAX / GAVI. Honesti said the alliance had committed to supply 54 million doses. However, there is still an option for Indonesia to get an additional 54 million doses. So that the total reaches 108 million doses.

According to Honesti, if Indonesia manages to get 108 million doses of free vaccine from COVAX / GAVI, this will meet the vaccine needs of 20 percent of Indonesia's population.

Overall, the total population of Indonesia that must be vaccinated is 181 million people to reach 70 percent herd immunity. With the calculation per population getting two shots, the total vaccine needed is 362 million doses.

"However, because in its implementation it was calculated that there were also damaged ones, then an allowance was given for 15 percent of the total vaccine so that overall Indonesia needs 426 million doses," he explained.

Meanwhile, there are two mechanisms for vaccine procurement carried out by Bio Farma on the assignment of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), namely the mechanism for importing finished vaccines and importing raw materials for later production by Bio Farma.

Honesti revealed that for the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine, the government has ordered from Sinovac Biotech, namely 3 million doses of the finished vaccine. Then there are 142 million doses of Sinovac vaccine in the form of raw materials that will be sent in stages.

Furthermore, Indonesia already has a contract with Novavax for the supply of 50 million doses of vaccine and there is an option of 80 million additional doses. This depends on the ability to absorb or execute the agreement.

Indonesia also received vaccine commitments from a global vaccine alliance that supports the World Health Organization (WHO) called COVAX / GAVI. The commitment is 54 million doses of vaccine but it can increase to 108 million doses.

The government also has cooperation with AstraZeneca to procure 50 million doses of vaccine and an additional 50 million doses of other vaccines. Then there is Pfizer, whose commitment is 50 million doses of vaccine. Subsequently supplied from Moderna and G42 or Sinopharm.

"If we get a full supply (108 million vaccines) from COVAX / GAVI we will likely have 663 million doses," he said.