VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia still has five million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which are sufficient to meet demand until the end of 2023, according to Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry.

The IndoVac and InaVac brand vaccines have been supplied through domestic production involving pharmaceutical companies PT Bio Farma and PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia, Rondonuwu informed.

"The two companies have been supporting the national capability in obtaining COVID-19 vaccines since the beginning of 2023," he said during an FMB9 Dialogue event titled "Official, COVID-19 becomes Endemic," which was streamed on Monday.

The use of vaccines during the endemic period is being discussed among epidemiologists and the Indonesia Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (ITAGI).

The discussion is focused on integrating COVID-19 vaccine services with the national routine program, administration intervals, target audience, and financing mechanisms.

The discussion refers to a guide from the World Health Organization (WHO), which directs the provision of COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups such as the elderly and people with comorbidities.

"For those who have not received primary vaccination, the government will cover the cost," he noted.

Rondonuwu aims to complete the stipulations related to COVID-19 vaccination during the endemic period by 2024.

During the event on Monday, Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist from Griffith University Australia, stated that domestic vaccine production is a strategic policy amid the ongoing threat of COVID-19 during the endemic period.

"The smooth transition from the acute phase to the endemic status requires 20 to 30 years. This means that the demand for vaccines will always exist, especially for primary vaccinations for children," he explained.

Dependency on imported products has caused Indonesia to lag behind in vaccine production capability, as it is not an easy task, Budiman said.

According to Budiman, there are several scenarios that can change the pandemic status to endemic, including vaccination and the provision of medicines or factors that can alter the behavior of the virus.

"Vaccines have numerous impacts, including reducing the mortality rate by 47 percent and decreasing the number of new cases by approximately 37 percent," he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The National Development Planning Ministry praised ASEAN countries' commitment to pursue blue economy.

"I commend peers from ASEAN member countries that have shown commitment to push for significant measures in formulating the ASEAN Blue Economic Framework as a priority economic result throughout Indonesia's leadership in ASEAN 2023," deputy of economic affairs at the ministry Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti stated during the 2023 ASEAN Blue Economy Forum in Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung Islands, on Monday.

The ASEAN Blue Economic Framework serves as a platform to establish common perception and plans in promoting blue economy in the ASEAN as the new driving force in economy that employs principles, such as added value, inclusiveness, and sustainability, while also taking into account the traditional aspect, she elaborated.

Widyasanti noted that initially, under the High-Level Task Force of Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) agenda, her administration had issued a concept note pertaining to blue economy as a prioritized type of economy.

A discussion was also conducted at the 43rd HLTF-EI, in which the draft of the framework was elaborated through inputs and suggestions from member countries, she affirmed. The draft will be discussed further on Monday, she added.

The 2023 ASEAN Blue Economy Forum on Monday comprises the main event, two side events, as well as site visits to some geoparks in Bangka Belitung, Widyasanti noted.

"The main event for today is the launch of the Indonesia Blue Economy Road Map. Indonesia Blue Economy Road Map will serve as a showcase, one showcase of blue economy in the ASEAN region," she elaborated.

The discussion of the framework's draft involves ministers of ASEAN countries and international experts, she noted. During the side event later on in the evening, two working-level sessions will be held, with focus on collaboration in blue economy as well as blue finance, she pointed out.

"These sessions will allow us to have a better understanding of the practical aspects of collaboration, including funding for blue economy projects," Widyasanti affirmed.

She urged everyone to use the forum as an opportunity to give a meaningful impact to ASEAN's future through the exchange of knowledge and experiences as well as establishing better networking.

"I am happy to announce that we have some participants in this event. For your information, there are 645 guests, who registered for the geo-adventure event and 288 participants for the main event scheduled for today, and a total of 233 participants for two side events," she revealed. (Antaranews)

Having appointed a new unification minister days earlier, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Sunday that the ministry had focused too much on providing aid for North Korea in the past and needed to change.

The new minister Kim Yung-ho is a conservative scholar and outspoken critic human rights abuses in North Korea, which Yoon has sought to spotlight amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 

"The Unification Ministry has been acting like the ministry of North Korea aid and it is wrong," Yoon was quoted as telling staff in a statement issued by his press secretary. "It's time for the unification ministry to change."

Yoon also urged the ministry to stand up for liberal democratic values and said unification should bring a "better and more human life" to people in the South and North.

In 2019, Kim wrote in an online column that the path to unification would open once North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's "regime is overthrown and North Korea is liberated." (Reuters)

Heavy monsoon rain is expected to hit Pakistan on Monday and last for several days, the weather office said, raising the risk of flooding in areas still recovering from a devastating deluge last year.

Large swathes of the South Asian country were submerged last year due to extremely heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers, a phenomenon linked to climate change that damaged crops and infrastructure and killed at least 1,700 people.

Heavy thunder and rain was expected from Monday evening in the capital, Islamabad, as well as in the cities of Lahore and Peshawar, spreading to other areas until Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

The weather office warned that flooding was possible in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, and Lahore, with the risk of flash floods in hilly western areas late this week.

Pakistan has received commitments of more than $9 billion from international donors to help recover from last year's floods with rebuilding efforts estimated to cost about $16.3 billion. (Reuters)