VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

China is stealing a march on Western drugmakers in the COVID-19 vaccine race in developing nations, with Indonesia and Turkey rolling out huge campaigns with a Chinese shot this week, Brazil due to follow soon, and even EU member Hungary signing up.

Scientists in some Western countries say China has been too slow to publish trial data. Public reports so far about how well its vaccines work have been inconsistent, which the Chinese firms attribute to variations in methodology.

Still, countries with hundreds of millions of people desperate for a vaccine think China’s shots are good enough.

As Western drugmakers struggle to meet demand at home, Beijing has sent millions of doses round the world of CoronaVac, made by Sinovac Biotech, and is also marketing a separate vaccine made by another company, Sinopharm.

The exports come even as China battles its own flare-up in infections, which has put more than 28 million people in lockdown. China has administered 10 million vaccine doses at home.

Though some studies on the Sinovac shot have reported lower effectiveness rates than some Western products, the countries buying them say they appear effective at preventing the most serious, deadly form of COVID-19.

Perhaps most importantly, they are also easy to administer, allowing the quick launch of large-scale programs to save lives and prevent health systems from being overwhelmed.

Turkey launched its program on Thursday with the Sinovac shot, and by late afternoon said it had already vaccinated more than 200,000 people - more in a few hours than France has managed in three weeks. Health workers went first.

“We spent around 10 months in white overalls, supporting people as they struggle for life. Health workers know very well that this situation cannot be taken lightly and that the vaccine is needed,” Surgeon General Nurettin Yiyit said.

Hungary, which has complained about the “scandalously” slow rollout of vaccines bought by the European Union on behalf of its 27 member states, reached a deal on Thursday to buy the Sinopharm vaccine. If approved, it would become the first EU country to authorize a Chinese vaccine. (reuters)

At least three people died while 24 others suffered injuries in a 6.2-magnitude earthquake ensued by several aftershocks that rattled Majene District, West Sulawesi, on early Friday, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The powerful earthquake, whose epicenter was located on land, six kilometers northeast of Majene District, at a depth of 10 kilometers, also compelled some two thousand locals to flee in pursuit of refuge at safer areas, the agency's spokesperson, Raditya Jati, stated.

The shallow quake, which the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) believe was caused by the local fault, also destroyed several buildings, including the governor's office, a military office, and Maleo Hotel, Jati remarked.

The earthquake, which also damaged 62 houses and a public health center, additionally triggered three landslides along the Majene-Mamuju road section and disrupted the transportation of people and goods, Jati revealed.

Earthquakes regularly hit various parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

One of the deadliest earthquakes rattling eastern Indonesia occurred in several areas of Central Sulawesi Province on September 28, 2018.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami that hit the areas of Palu City and the districts of Donggala, Paringi Moutong, and Sigi on Sept 28, 2018, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and rendered 680 others missing.

A total of 68,451 homes were seriously damaged, while 78,994 people were displaced.

The authorities and humanitarian workers decided to bury a large number of rotting corpses in mass graves.

Meanwhile, material losses inflicted by the twin deadly disasters were estimated to reach Rp15.29 trillion.

The provincial capital of Palu bore the brunt of the disaster, with material damage and losses recorded at Rp7.6 trillion, or 50 percent of the total estimate, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The material damage and losses in Sigi District were recorded at Rp4.9 trillion, or 32.1 percent; Donggala District, at Rp2.1 trillion, or 13.8 percent; and Parigi Moutong District, at Rp631 billion, or 4.1 percent.

The material damage in the four affected areas reached an estimated Rp13.27 trillion, while the material losses were reportedly around Rp2.02 trillion, the agency revealed in October 2018. (antaranews)

China has voiced support for Indonesia to become a regional hub for COVID-19 vaccine production and is upbeat about both nations contributing to the development of human health.

"I have considered the report (live television showing President Joko Widodo receiving an injection of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine). China and Indonesia are important strategic partners," spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zhao Lijian noted in a written statement made available to ANTARA on Friday.

The cooperation between both nations in producing the COVID-19 vaccine reflects the mutual trust in establishing practical and strategic cooperation, he pointed out.

"Hence, China is ready to enhance cooperation (with Indonesia) in research and development, production, and procurement of the vaccine," he affirmed.

China had earlier also invited Indonesia to work together to assist developing nations and Islamic countries in ensuring the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine at affordable prices.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the statement in response to the issuance of a halal certificate by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) for the Sinovac vaccine.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd is developing greater confidence in its vaccine, especially after the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to the Indonesian head of state drew the attention of people not only in Indonesia but also those in various countries.

The event also came under the spotlight of the Chinese media.

The Sinovac-made CoronaVac vaccine is effective and safe, Sinovac Biotech CEO Yin Weidong stated at a press conference in Beijing after witnessing President Jokowi receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, Jan 13, 2021.

Weidong remarked that the Sinovac vaccine, currently undergoing the third phase of clinical trial in Brazil, Turkey, and Indonesia, showed various results, depending on the condition of people in the three countries.

The vaccine is 91.3-percent effective in Turkey, 78 percent in China, and 65.3 percent in Indonesia, he stated. (antaranews)

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 followed by several aftershocks struck Majene in the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi on early Friday, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said.

The epicenter of the 6.2-magnitude quake which occurred at 01.28 WIB (West Indonesia Standard Time) was located on land six kilometers northeast of Majene at a depth of 10 kilometers, Chief of BMKG Earthquake and Tsunami Center Bambang Setiyo Prayitno said in a written statement.

Judging by its epicenter and hypocenter, the quake was a shallow quake caused by the local fault, he said.

The tremor was felt by people at Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale IV-V in Majene, MMI III in Palu, Mamuju Tengah, Mamuju Utara, and Mamasa.

A quake of MMI III could be felt indoors akin to the movement of a truck, while that of MMI IV could be felt by several people within and outside houses, with the windows or doors creaking and audible wall sounds.

Meanwhile, a quake of MMI V could be felt by nearly all individuals in the affected area and caused articles to dart off and pillars and heavy articles to shake.

Mercalli scale is one of the units to assess the strength of an earthquake, especially in the absence of a seismometer at the site, according to the agency.

No immediate reports were received of any material damage, injuries, or fatalities.

Bambang said before the 6.2- magnitude quake struck the BMKG had detected a foreshock of magnitude 3.1.

As of 02.20 WIB, the BMKG recorded six aftershocks with a maximum magnitude of 4.1.

Friday's quake still had to do with a quake of magnitude 5.9 which struck at 13.35 WIB on Thursday, he said.

Indonesia sits on the geographically active “Pacific Ring of Fire” and holds some 40 percent of the world's geothermal reserves.

The Ring of Fire, or the Circum-Pacific belt, is the world’s greatest earthquake belt, according to Live Science, owing to fault lines running from Chile to Japan and Southeast Asia. (antaranews)