Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi Wants Vaccine Injecting To Reach 2 Million Doses Per Day

Screenshot of Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin delivering a welcoming speech at the inauguration of the COVID-19 Vaccination Center (Andi Firdaus/Antara).

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin wants the process of injecting the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia to reach 2 million doses per day starting in the second semester of 2021.

"It must increase to 2 million injections per day, compared to yesterday, which had reached 700 thousand per day," he said as quoted by Antara, Friday, June 25.

Budi said President Joko Widodo had assigned the Ministry of Health to complete the vaccination target of 181.5 million people over the age of 18.

The need for vaccines to achieve this target, said Budi, amounts to 363 million doses.

"Availability of vaccines worldwide is a problem, only five countries produce vaccines. Not all countries can have access to vaccines," he said.

Budi said in the first six months Indonesia had received 75 million vaccines. The remaining 290 million new doses will be obtained by Indonesia in the second half of 2021.

"Currently, maybe only three or four countries are getting above 500 thousand injections per day," he said.

To pursue the injection of 2 million doses per day, said Budi, the Ministry of Health encourages the participation of all parties to invite community participation aged at least 18 years to receive the vaccine.

"We encourage AAUI to do this until the end of the year, we will help provide vaccines. Maybe later we can facilitate customers, customers' families," he said.