Sinova vaccine arrival in Indonesia (yahoo Singapore)

Indonesia has just received its "year-end present" with an additional 1.8 million doses of Sinovac vaccine landing in Jakarta on the very last day of 2020. The archipelagic nation had received the first consignment of 1.2 million doses from Sinovac earlier in December, 2020. Speaking at an online press briefing one day before the latest consignment arrived, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, had said that Indonesia's diplomacy is working to open the access for vaccine collaboration with all countries as well as mechanisms.

"I repeat, (we are seeking cooperation) with any parties, whether through bilateral track or multilateral, for vaccine procurement," Marsudi remarked."I could say that Indonesia has become one of a handful of countries which have secured vaccines for domestic needs,” she said.

“However, at the same time, aligned with the principle of equal access of vaccines for all the nations, as well as the manifested responsibility of Indonesia to the world, Indonesia contributes through CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) for global procurement,” she added. Marsudi has on many other occasions voiced the urgent need to achieve both "vaccine nationalism" and "vaccine globalism”, citing the terms floated by senior Indonesian diplomat Dino Patti Djalal.

"Vaccine is certain to be a diplomatic, political, economic, and logistical challenge. Just like COVID-19 has been the most political virus ever, the vaccine will also be political," Djalal said in the year-end-statement of his think-tank, the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia.

He projected that through this second year of COVID-19 pandemic, there would be a strong impulse for "vaccine nationalism”.

“But, the real test of international solidarity is in the realm of vaccine cooperation. And the good news is that 'vaccine globalism' is becoming a much stronger politically correct norm,” Djalal added.

During a meeting in Geneva with the CEO of Gavi The Vaccine Alliance, a co-initiator of the COVAX facility along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and CEPI, Indonesia directly and officially submitted a letter of interest to join COVAX AMC (Advanced Market Commitment)//ANT