VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia received two million Sinovac vaccines in the form of a grant from the Chinese government on Tuesday. The shipment was the 163rd batch to arrive in the country, an official said.



"The arrival of two million Sinovac vaccines at Soekarno-Hatta Airport is a support for the third phase of dose-sharing cooperation from the China government," East Asia Director Santo Darmosumarto at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement  here on Tuesday.



The total vaccine support from China to Indonesia has now reached four million doses, he added.



The dose-sharing collaboration is part of the Indonesia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and is aimed at jointly facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.



The vaccine assistance shows the close relationship between the two neighboring countries, including in efforts to handle the pandemic, Darmosumarto emphasized.



Cooperation between countries is very important to deal with COVID-19, which has claimed many lives, he said.



"For this, the Indonesian government expresses its deepest gratitude to China government," he remarked.



Vaccine diplomacy has been pursued by the government to secure the vaccine needs of Indonesian citizens, he added.



It is also directed at fighting discrimination and politicization of vaccines, he said.



In addition to seeking equal vaccine access for all countries, Indonesia has been at the forefront, providing inputs to reorganize the global health architecture, he noted. This is needed to prepare the world for facing future health challenges, he explained.



Currently, Indonesia is one of five countries with the highest complete COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the world, Darmosumarto said.



With 106 million vaccine recipients, Indonesia is only behind countries with large populations, such as China, India, the United States, and Brazil, he pointed out.




The availability of vaccines to meet the vaccination needs of all target groups is very important, he said.



For this reason, the Indonesian government will expand vaccination coverage by the end of this year to form herd immunity, he added.



At the same time, the government is reminding the public to maintain the health protocols, he said.



"We must also reduce mobility during the year-end holidays to avoid a spike in COVID-19 cases," he added. (Antaranews)