VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia received 2,968,000 vaccine doses from Germany and Sweden on Friday (January 28, 2022). (ANTARA/HO/Kementerian Kominfo) - 

The Indonesian Government received nearly three million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by the governments of Germany and Sweden on Friday.

The arrival of the 2,968 thousand vaccine doses marked the 202nd stage of vaccine arrival in Indonesia, Director General of Information and Public Communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics Usman Kansong said in a press statement issued on Friday.

"On behalf of the government and people of Indonesia, we express our deepest gratitude to the governments of Germany and Sweden for this vaccine donation," he remarked.

The COVID-19 vaccine doses were donated via the COVAX mechanism, he informed.

Earlier, the German Government donated 2,389,400 Moderna vaccine doses to Indonesia on December 22, 2021, and 2,688 thousand Moderna vaccine doses on December 24, he noted.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global problem that must be handled together by all nations, including support in vaccination efforts, Kansong emphasized.

Due to the effectiveness of the bilateral cooperation that Indonesia has established with other countries since the beginning of the pandemic, the nation has received a lot of assistance, including donations of free vaccines, he said.

"Cooperation between countries is one of the important things to jointly handle the pandemic that has been going on for around two years," he remarked.

He emphasized that the government has continued efforts to expand COVID-19 vaccinations, especially amid increasing COVID-19 transmission in the country due to the Omicron variant.

He assured that the vaccine stocks received on Friday will be immediately distributed to regions in the country.

He further informed that Indonesia has surpassed the vaccination target set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, several regions in the country still need to increase their vaccination coverage, he pointed out. To this end, the central government is encouraging regional governments to make the best efforts to increase vaccination coverage, he said.

He also urged unvaccinated people to get vaccinated immediately and those who are eligible to receive the third dose vaccine to get the booster shot promptly in order to increase protection against the virus.

"The increase in Omicron cases is also a reminder for us to always comply with the health protocols," he remarked//ANT