JAKARTA - Indonesia will still receive around 74 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine until the end of 2022, so the government needs adequate cold storage to store the vaccine stock.
Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin after a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, said that the majority of the upcoming vaccines will come from grants from other countries.
"By the end of the year, there will be another 74 million doses of vaccine. Of the 74 million, around 15 million are the remaining contracts in early 2021, which will be sent after June until the end of the year, the remaining 50 million or more are grants," Budi said as quoted by Antara, Tuesday, May 31.
Budi said that this vaccine grant was given by developed countries, because these developed countries have excess vaccine stocks.
Indonesia has become the choice of grantees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, because the realization of vaccination in Indonesia is running fast. That way, the grant vaccine can be used before it expires.
Budi said the government would also destroy the COVID-19 vaccine that was still stored in the refrigerator, but had expired. This is done so that the vaccine storage capacity is sufficient to accommodate the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine until the end of the year.
"We feel that the fridge is full of COVID-19 vaccines which are partially expired. Therefore, we propose to the President that it can be exterminated in areas for vaccines that have expired," said Budi.
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The destruction of expired vaccines, said Budi, will be carried out in accordance with applicable regulations, accompanied by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), the Attorney General's Office and law enforcement officers.
In addition, to ensure that the vaccine coolers in each region are sufficient to accommodate the upcoming vaccines, President Jokowi ordered to immediately accelerate the distribution of booster or third dose vaccines to the public.
"Mr. President also gave directions because there will be quite a lot of vaccines still to come, another 71 million until the end of the year, so that the booster will be increased," said the Minister of Health.
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