VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chief of the Committee for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery, Erick Thohir, said he believed 15 million Indonesians will receive 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at the end of 2020 if clinical trials for the vaccine run well.

"If one person needs two doses, then some 15 million people will be vaccinated at the end of 2020," he said at a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Thursday.

The 30 million doses of vaccine will be produced and procured in 2020 through cooperation with Sinovac of China and G42 of the United Arab Emirates.

The two types of vaccines will be administered at an interval of two weeks under a doubling dose regimen.

Thohir, who is also the state-owned enterprises minister, said the vaccines can be used if they do well in clinical trials conducted by the two companies.

Sinovac has committed to supplying raw materials for the production of 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2020 and for 250 million doses in 2021, with a 10-percent overfill, he informed.

Meanwhile, G42 has also committed to supplying 10 million doses of the vaccine in December, 2020, and another 50 million doses in the first quarter of 2021 to Indonesia.

According to the latest information, the vaccine would be administered to people aged between 18 and 59 years. At present, the vaccine is being developed for people aged less than 18 years.

In addition to Sinovac and G42, the Indonesian government is also exploring the possibility of cooperating with other vaccine producers such as AstraZeneca of Europe, besides the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation of the US.

Indonesia is also determined to develop its Red and White COVID-19 vaccine on its own, the minister said.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had stated earlier that China and the United Arab Emirates have assured they would supply 290 million to 340 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia by the end of 2021.

Last week, Marsudi and Thohir paid visits to China and the United Arab Emirates as part of efforts to secure COVID-19 vaccine supplies.  (ANTARA)