Indonesia Orders 50 Million COVID-19 Vaccines Made In The UK And Will Spread Gradually

Photo illustration (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The government ordered 50 million COVID-19 vaccines in the first phase of one hundred million commitments produced by Aztra Zeneca from the UK. This was announced by Airlangga Hartarto.

"Now the Minister of Health, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of BUMN are leaving to prepare 50 million ordered and paid for," he said, as the Head of the Team for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (PC-PEN) at an online press conference in Jakarta, Monday, October 12.

The government previously budgeted an advance payment for the procurement of the vaccine of IDR 3.7 trillion for 2020. On the other hand, in the rest of this year there will also be 30 million vaccines available from four companies: Cansino, Sinovac, Sinopharm and Aztra Seneca.

Furthermore, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs added that the procurement of other vaccines will also be supplied by Bio Farma. The government has issued Presidential Regulation Number 99 of 2020 regarding the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine which is estimated at 160 million vaccines.

Based on these regulations, vaccines will be given in stages until 2022. "We have to secure the procurement of vaccines because 215 (countries) are pursuing vaccines so that it is approximately secure for 160 million doses for two times," he said.

With the need for vaccination of twice the dose, the total need for the COVID-19 vaccine reaches 320 million doses. The priority scale for recipients of COVID-19 vaccination is medical and paramedical, health services including the TNI, Polri and legal officers around 3.5 million.

Then, there are five million community leaders, religious leaders to regional apparatus, as many as 4.3 million educators ranging from Early Childhood Education (PAUD), TK, SD, SMP to lecturers from private and state universities.

Furthermore, 2.3 million national and regional government and legislative apparatus, and BPJS Health premium assistance (PBI) recipients as many as 96 million people with a total of 102 million people. In addition, he continued, the target recipients of vaccination are people aged 19-59 years, so that the total number of people reaches 160 million people.