VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo formed a National Team for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Vaccine Development and installed Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, as head of its steering team.

The structure of the National Team for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Vaccine Development has been stipulated in Presidential Decree Number 18 of 2020, dated Sep. 3, 2020.

The team comprises a steering team, persons in charge, and executive officers.

The team would work until December 31, 2021, Wiku Adisasmito, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, said at an online press conference on Tuesday.

"All components (of the team) must be able to work and synergize the time — that is not long — and they really must complete the task by the end of 2021," he said.

Members of the steering team include Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD.

Minister for Research and Technology and head of the National Research and Innovation Agency Bambang Brodjonegoro, mandated to lead the persons in charge in the team, with Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto serving as Deputy Chair I and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir as Deputy Chairman II.

Members of the team include Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasminta, Minister of Trade Agus Suparmanto, Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim, and head of the Food and Drug Administration Penny Kusumastuti Lukito.

The team has four objectives: to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia; to bring national resilience and self-reliance in developing COVID-19 vaccines; to intensify synergy in research, development, assessment, and application of scientific knowledge and technology, invention and innovation, production, distribution, and use or utilization of COVID-19 vaccines between the government and science and technology institutions, and science and technology resources in the COVID-19 vaccine development; and, to carry out preparations, utilization, capacity building, and boost national capacity for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. (Antaranews)