VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. Indonesia on Monday received 3.852 million ready-to-use COVID-19 vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca, as part of the second shipment of vaccines under the COVAX multilateral scheme.

“Tonight, Indonesia has received 3,852,000 ready-to-use vaccine doses. The first shipment batch through the COVAX facility was received by Indonesia on March 3 (2021), with a total of 1.1 million doses,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, at a press conference from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang  west of Jakarta, on Monday evening.

With the receipt of the second batch of vaccines, the total number of vaccines the country has procured under the COVAX scheme has reached 4,965,600 doses.

Combined with the vaccines procured through bilateral cooperation, the number of vaccine doses received by Indonesia so far has reached 67,465,600.

While making efforts to ensure that Indonesia’s domestic vaccination needs are met, the government is continuing to advocate for equal access to vaccines for all countries, Foreign Minister Marsudi said.

These efforts are reflected in Indonesia’s active role in discussions on global vaccine issues, especially in its capacity as co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group, she added.

“We have expressed our concerns on the emergence of new (COVID-19) waves in a number of countries in the world, and the discovery of new variants in a number of countries,” she said.

She also highlighted the rising global demand for vaccine shots, even as vaccine shipments are seeing delays.

For that reason, the Indonesian government is continuing to work towards securing vaccine provisions for Indonesians, she said.

“Day and night, we continue to work in order to ensure that the national vaccination program can continue to be carried out. Day and night, we continue our diplomacy efforts to ensure our vaccine needs are met,” she added.  (Antaranews)