The COVID-19 Vaccine Will Run Out After Eid Al-Fitr, Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi: We Only Have A Little Short Stock For 20 Days

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JAKARTA - Through the statement of the Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin, it was revealed that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country is in a limited condition.

He said that the current vaccine stock was at 8 million doses. Of these, 3 million of them are domestic production through Bio Farma. While the rest is procured from abroad and a number of producers.

In his calculations, the rate of vaccine injection had touched the highest figure of 500.000 doses per day. However, as stock availability began to run low and the Ramadan period, the injection speed fell to an average injection of around 350.000 to 400.000 doses per day.

"For the current 8 million and 400.000 injections a day, we have stock for 20 days of injections", he said during a virtual meeting, Friday, April 23.

This means that if the next 20 days are calculated based on the current momentum of Ramadan, the vaccination activity is expected to stop on D+2 or D+3 after Eid Al-Fitr if the government does not get new supplies.

Minister of Health added that one of the obstacles in the field is related to the vaccine production process which is quite time-consuming.

"It is a bit tight (current vaccine stock) because the Bio Farma vaccine production cycle is about one month after receiving raw materials", he said.

Furthermore, the former banker explained that to date, Indonesia has obtained 26.2 million doses of vaccine. Of that number, 18 million have been channeled into the vaccination program. Meanwhile, the remainder is the current stock which is still being distributed by the government.

In total, Indonesia plans to procure 426 million COVID-19 vaccines through various efforts. Meanwhile, the number that has been agreed upon by the producer is 225 million doses.

The government, said the Minister of Health, continues to strive for various steps to be able to secure vaccine supplies in order to meet the initial procurement target.

"But indeed, the delivery schedule can shift depending on logistical issues, production, and sometimes priority issues from the producing country", he said.

"We are also still waiting for the free vaccine option from Gavi, which has committed 11 million doses", continued the Minister of Health.

Fiscal support

Separately, the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani at the State Budget Press Conference which was held on Thursday, April 22, stated that the Health budget that could be contained in the 2021 National Economic Recovery (PEN) program amounted to IDR 176.3 trillion.

Meanwhile, the realization until March 2021 was IDR 12.4 trillion or around 7 percent of the ceiling provided.

Meanwhile, the use of the budget for the COVID-19 vaccination program is said to have drained state funds of no less than IDR 36 trillion.

Bio Farma speeds up production

A spokesperson for the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Wiku Adisasmito asked the public not to worry about the availability of vaccines. This is because Bio Farma is currently working extra hard to produce vaccines obtained from foreign bulk (raw materials).

"There will be an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine produced by Bio Farma, so it is hoped that the vaccination program in April May 2021 can continue", he said on the Youtube channel of the Presidential Secretariat, Thursday, April 22.

DPR reminds the government

Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Netty Prasetiyani Aher asked the government to immediately take tactical steps to ensure adequate national vaccine availability

"If the government is slow, it will be difficult for us to achieve the goal of herd immunity", said Netty.

The deputy head of the PKS Party Faction is worried that Indonesia will not be able to achieve the target of 1 million injection doses per day due to a vaccine hiatus.

"If our vaccine is empty, then the vaccination process cannot be continued. Certainly, this will have an impact on vaccination being not completed within 15 months as targeted by the government", she said.

Vaccine imports reached IDR 6 trillion in three months

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) confirmed that Indonesia imported USD 443.4 million worth of vaccines or approximately IDR 6.49 trillion (exchange rate of IDR 14.625) during the first quarter of 2021.

Head of the BPS, Suhariyanto said that figure had jumped 1.315 percent compared to the first quarter of 2020.

"Of course this increase is related to the pandemic condition which has not occurred at the beginning of last year", he said in a virtual press conference, Thursday, April 15.

Suhariyanto added that the import of vaccines during March 2021 was recorded at USD 178.7 million or an increase of 102.5 percent from the realization in February 2020. The BPS itself classifies vaccines in imported goods coded HS 30022090.

"It should be remembered that this is the figure for the realization of vaccine imports as a whole and not only limited to the COVID-19 vaccine", he said.