JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy revealed the latest news regarding the production of the Red and White COVID-19 vaccine. This domestically-made vaccine will be mass-produced in the middle of this year.
This was disclosed in the coordination meeting of domestic vaccine production. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Head of BPOM Penny K. Lukito, representatives of the Ministry of State Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, Setkab, BRIN, Ministry of BUMN, and representatives of the Red and White Vaccine developer.
"The vaccine which will be released in early 2022 is the UNAIR-Biotis vaccine. It is estimated that it will be ready for mass production in mid-2022," said Muhadjir, quoted in an official statement, Thursday, January 13.
Muhadjir asked the Ministry of Health as the regulator to find common ground between the government and the industry as producers, so that the release schedule for domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine products can match expectations.
"This is so that it can be accelerated without compromising the quality, precision and accuracy of the products," said Muhadjir.
Muhadjir hopes that when the Red and White vaccine is mass produced, the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia can end soon thanks to an increase in the number of people who receive immunity from vaccine injections.
"If we can achieve the maximum target. So that at the end of the epidemic we will end with a domestically made vaccine. That's more 'husnul khatimah' in religious language. Because we are proud to be able to plant the red and white flag high because we can finish with the vaccines that we have," he explained.
It is known that currently there are six developers of the Red and White Vaccine, namely Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) with PT Biotis, PT Biofarma with Baylor College of Medicine, University of Indonesia (UI) with PT Etana, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), PRBM Eijkman BRIN together PT Bio Farma, Padjadjaran University with PT Bio Farma & Lipotek, as well as Nusantara vaccines.
On that occasion, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin proposed that the primary Red and White Vaccine should be released no later than March 2022, the primary vaccine for children should be released no later than June 2022, and the booster vaccine could be postponed to August 2022.
"However, this must take into account the public's response to how primary vaccines are given with foreign vaccines and boosters are given domestic COVID-19 vaccines," said Budi.
In addition, the government will also seek domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines that can be exported abroad. However, the government will apply the precautionary principle of the new COVID-19 variant. Thus, the availability of domestic vaccines is maintained.
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