COVID-19 Medicine And Vitamins Are Hard To Find In Bandarlampung, Limited Stock

Illustration of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs and vitamins for COVID-19 (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - COVID-19 therapeutic drugs and vitamins are difficult to obtain at several pharmacies in Bandar Lampung because their stock is limited.

Based on Antara's search at several pharmacies in Bandarlampung, Saturday, it showed that COVID-19 therapeutic drugs, such as Indofarma's Oseltamivir, Favipiravir, and Kimia Farma's Azithromycin, were hard to find.

Likewise, vitamin D3 5000 UI and Enervon C are also difficult to obtain in Bandarlampung pharmacies.

"The COVID-19 medicine and vitamins are no longer available. The stock is empty, Mas", said Sari, an employee of a pharmacy in Bandarlampung, as reported by Antara, Sunday.

He admitted that the stock of the covid drugs and vitamins had been empty for a long time because they were no longer supplied by distributors.

"It has long been out of stock for Oseltamivir, Favipiravir, and Azithromycin", he said.

Another pharmacist in Bandarlampung, Kun, said that certain COVID drugs and vitamins were out of stock.

COVID-19 (Unsplaush)

"Oseltamivir and Favipiravir are out of stock, but similar drugs such as Avigan and Azithromycin are still available even though stocks are limited", he said.

Meanwhile, he continued, some types of vitamins such as Enervon C and D3 5000 UI were also out of stock. However, for D3 100, Vitacimin, Ester C, vitamin B, and Zink are still available even though the stock is limited.

Earlier on Friday, July 23, President Jokowi directly checked the availability of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs at the pharmacy.

However, the pharmacist replied that the stock of Oseltamivir was empty. The president asked again where he should look for the drug.

Pharmacists said that they had not received a supply of Oseltamivir for a long time. Finally, the remaining stock of Oseltamivir is the Fluvir brand.

"But now it's empty too", said the female pharmacist.

The President then asked about the availability of Favipiravir. The pharmacist also answered that they did not have it in stock, as well as vitamin D3.

The pharmacy only has vitamin D3 1000, while D3 5000 has run out. To Jokowi, the pharmacist said that his party had ordered the vitamin product again, but could not.

Until finally the President called the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, to inform him that the drugs he was looking for COVID-19 therapy were out of stock on the market.