Indonesia Is Confirmed To Get Free COVID-19 Vaccine, Coverage Of Up To 20 Percent Of The Population

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (DOK. VOI / Irfan Meidianto)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi confirmed that Indonesia will receive free COVID-19 vaccine through multilateral cooperation, namely the COVAX facility.

This collaboration is managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the world vaccine alliance GAVI, and CEPI. The number of vaccines that will be obtained is estimated at 3 to 20 percent of the population.

"Indonesia continues to collaborate on a multilateral track, namely through the COVAX facility. Indonesia is estimated to receive free vaccines for 3 to 20 percent of the population," Retno said at the DPR Commission I joint working meeting, Tuesday, January 26.

Retno said the types of vaccines, the size of the vaccines, and the distribution time were still being discussed. At the end of January, there will be a meeting through the joint allocation task force in Geneva.

The vaccine ration that Indonesia receives is inseparable from Indonesia's position in the 92 list of Covax Advanced Market Commitment (AMC) or AMC-92 countries. AMC-92 is a middle and low income country that Covax will help get the free vaccine.

In addition, Retno also said that she was elected as one of the co-chairs for the COVAX AMC Engagement Group program, which was initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Vaccines Alliance (GAVI).

Apart from the Indonesian Foreign Minister, the Ethiopian Health Minister, Lia Tadesse and the Canadian Minister for International Development, Karina Gould were also chosen to lead the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and distribution program for the 92 countries that are members of the COVAX AMC.

"Thank God, Indonesia was elected with the most votes, which is 41 percent of the total votes going to AMC-92 countries. There are 3 co-chairs, namely Canada representing donor countries, then representing AMC-92 countries are Indonesia and Ethiopia. Interestingly, the three of us all of them were women as co-chairs, "she explained.