VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. The National Task Force for COVID-19 Handling has reported that as many as 5,713,404 Indonesians have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine as of Thursday.

The total number of people receiving the two doses of the vaccine increased by 144,547 on Thursday compared to the previous day.

The increased number of second dose recipients is lower than that of the first dose recipients that the task force recorded at 118,867.

Meanwhile, the total number of Indonesians who have received the first dose of the vaccine has reached 10,596,373.

The COVID-19 Task Force has also released a target for the second phase of vaccination of 40,349,049 people.

Indonesia has mostly used the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac and some AstraZeneca vaccines received through the COVAX Facility for its vaccination program.

The COVAX Facility is being co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Earlier, spokesperson for the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), Iris Rengganis, stressed that the vaccine produced by China's Sinovac is suitable for use, as its efficacy has been found to be above the threshold set by the WHO.

"The WHO has announced that the efficacy must be at least 50 percent. Hence, anything above 50 percent is feasible. The important aspect is that it is safe," Rengganis, who is also head of the Advocacy Team for Vaccination, noted in a statement on Wednesday.

On the basis of clinical trials in Brazil, Sinovac vaccine’s efficacy has been shown to be 50.3-50.4 percent, she disclosed.

According to Rengganis, the most important aspect is the vaccine’s availability and safety, so there is no need to dwell on its effectiveness.

"This is because we need it during a pandemic. Hence, we do not really (need to) look at brands anymore," she stated.

"Later, the issue of effectiveness could be dealt with. If necessary, next it will be repeated. Hence, there is no need to make a fuss about it," she added.

Rengganis also said the vaccine “would not poison recipients" and its efficacy level will have no impact on health, so it is safe for use.

She also highlighted Indonesia’s plans to acquire Moderna and Pfizer doses in order to meet the country’s vaccine needs.   (Antaranews)