If The Government Needs, Bio Farma Promises IndoVac Production Can Be 100 Million Doses By 2023

Illustration of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Antarananews)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Bio Farma Persero Honesti Basyir said the production capacity of the COVID-19 IndoVac vaccine could increase to 100 million doses by 2023. The increase in production adjusted to the government's needs. "Because there is a lot needed, not only for Indonesia, but also Indonesia's plan to provide aid grants to certain countries, if needed in 2023, we will also increase the capacity of 100 million doses," Honesti said in an interview on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube channel, Thursday, October 13.

The domestically produced IndoVac vaccine was just launched by President Jokowi at the PT Bio Farma Persero Factory, Bandung, Thursday, October 13. Jokowi also reviewed the initial injection of the vaccine by health workers to vaccine recipients.

Honesti explained that IndoVac can be used for several uses, namely as a primary vaccine, namely for people who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine at all. Then also as a booster dose vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents and children.

"We are preparing a current test to be given to teenagers and children. Of course later we will coordinate with the Ministry of Health but indeed the design for this vaccine can be from the age of 6 to 11 years, 12-17 years and 18 years until the next age," he said.

According to Honesti, the production of the IndoVac vaccine can be a "stepping stone" for Bio Farma and also Indonesia because currently in Tanah AIR there are facilities and production capabilities for the COVID-19 vaccine.

It turns out that Indonesia is also able to create the facilities needed to handle the pandemic. I hope this is a spirit, a milestone for Indonesia to reduce dependence on imports," he said. Meanwhile, President Jokowi views the presence of the IndoVac vaccine as the fruit of the hard work of Indonesia's young human resources (HR) working on making the vaccine from upstream to downstream.

"It took time, IndoVac from the beginning until now, a year and a half. It's been quiet, never spoke up, suddenly became IndoVac," said Jokowi.