VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government has prepared 426 million COVID-19 vaccines for around 181 million Indonesians in a bid to create herd immunity against the virus.

Taking into account that a single person would need to be given two doses of the vaccine and in compliance with the WHO guidelines, the government has prepared 15 percent of vaccine reserves, so the total number of doses required is around 426 million, said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Of the 269 million Indonesians, if we want to pursue herd immunity over the age of 18, there are 188 million [citizens]. Of these 188 million, the target of vaccination is 181 million people," he informed.

According to the minister, this number is quite large and the government has been trying hard to ensure that there will be adequate doses of the vaccine available.

To secure the vaccines, the government has used four bilateral channels and one multilateral route.

"Of the four bilateral routes, we have signed a contract with Sinovac for 125 million vaccines and have the option to add [to] them. We have also signed with Novavax for 100 million doses, and there is a portion that we will definitely take and there is a portion of options [doses reserved for optional expansion]," Sadikin informed.

A contract with AstraZeneca for 100 million vaccine doses will soon be signed, of which 50 million doses have been confirmed and the rest have been reserved for optional expansion, he said.

The government will also sign a contract with BioNtech Pfizer soon for 100 million doses, of which 50 million doses have been confirmed and the rest have been reserved for optional expansion, he added.

Contract finalization with AstraZeneca and Pfizer will take place in the near future, Sadikin said.

"So, [of] a total of about 400 million doses of the vaccine, 100 million will be imported from China, 100 million from Novavax, namely an American-Canadian company, 100 million from AstraZeneca, a company from England, 100 million more from Pfizer, a joint company from Germany and US," Sadikin stated.

The agreements with four different companies were made to guarantee the arrival of vaccines, he noted.

"It is hoped that the vaccines will come gradually to Indonesia and [the authorities will] immediately inject all the people of Indonesia, namely 181 million people, so we hope that at the beginning of next year all the vaccine procurement readiness processes will be completed," Sadikin said.

Meanwhile, through the multilateral approach, Indonesia has entered into the GAVI COVAX Facility, which is providing vaccines for free to member countries.

"The numbers are still moving on how much is [to be] given to Indonesia, but the range is 3 percent of the population, [or] 100 million doses. So, we are making contracts with options from vaccine suppliers so that there is certainty of procurement from GAVI, which is free, so we don't need to take vaccines from the company, " Sadikin remarked.

This means, according to Sadikin, Indonesia has secured around 330 million doses and reserved 330 million doses for optional expansion.

"So, we have secured 660 million [doses]. We have a sufficient buffer if there are several sources that fail to be clinically tested or [there is] delay in the delivery process," he said. (antaranews)

Indonesia added 7,903 fresh coronavirus infections in a single day, bringing the total case tally to 727,122, the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling reported here on Tuesday.

With 6,805 more people recovering from the virus, the total number of COVID-19 recoveries reached 596,783.

With 251 COVID-19 patients succumbing to the virus, the total death toll reached 21,703.

The data was obtained from 65,143 specimens examined in a day. The cumulative number of specimens examined in Indonesia has reached 7,224,452 so far.

The country also registered 68,181 suspected COVID-19 infections in 510 districts and cities in 34 provinces.

Jakarta contributed the highest number of fresh cases at 2,056, followed by West Java (1,329), Central Java (1,056), East Java (789), South Sulawesi (568), East Kalimantan (314), Yogyakarta (282), Bali (172), North Kalimantan (166), and Banten (121).

Three provinces reported less than 10 new cases — Aceh, which recorded nine new cases, North Maluku six new cases, and West Papua five new cases.

Central Java province reported the most deaths in a single day at 91, followed by East Java (64), Jakarta (18), Southeast Sulawesi (11), and Yogyakarta (10).

Meanwhile, the provinces that reported the most recoveries were West Java (1,158), followed by Jakarta (1,007), Central Java (794), East Java (793), and South Sulawesi (512).

The COVID-19 tally in Jakarta has so far reached 179,660, East Java 82,321, West Java 81,322, Central Java 79,826, and South Sulawesi 30,030.

Jakarta also recorded the highest total number of COVID-19 recoveries at 161,243, followed by East Java (70,467), West Java (68,353), Central Java (53,428), and South Sulawesi (25,440).

Meanwhile, East Java reported the highest death toll at 5,701, followed by Central Java at 3,422, Jakarta 3,228, West Java 1,159, and East Kalimantan 731.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday extended partial coronavirus restrictions in the capital, Manila, until the end of January to prevent the spread of COVID-19 following Christmas and holiday festivities.

The capital region, which accounts for 40% of the country’s economic output and is home to at least 12 million people, remains the coronavirus hotspot in the Philippines, which has the second highest infections and deaths in Southeast Asia.

In a national address, Duterte placed the capital region, his hometown Davao City and eight other areas under partial quarantine measures for the entirety of January. Less stringent restrictions will be enforced for the rest of the country.

“Stay home if it is really possible, if you can. It is for your own good,” Duterte said.

Interior Minister Eduardo Ano said on Monday there was no need to return to a hard lockdown as long as there was no proof that the new COVID-19 variant from the United Kingdom had entered the country.

The capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities fused together, has been under partial curbs since August.

Physical distancing is enforced on public transport, and face masks and shields are required for anyone stepping out of their homes. Most businesses, including dine-in services, have been allowed to reopen at reduced capacity to support the economy.

Healthcare workers are bracing for a surge in infections following holiday merrymaking. The Philippines has 470,650 cases and 9,124 deaths from COVID-19, with around a thousand new infections reported daily.

The Southeast Asian nation is also preparing for the new, more transmissible COVID-19 variant which has been found in Britain and has rattled global financial markets, by extending a flight ban from Britain until mid-January.

It also requires passengers that come from or have transited in Britain and other countries that have reported finding the new variant to complete a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, regardless of test results. (reuters)

South Korea on Tuesday said it will sign a deal with Moderna Inc to offer COVID-19 vaccines for 20 million people, Yonhap news agency reported citing the presidential office.

This comes a day after officials vowed to speed up efforts to launch a public coronavirus vaccination programme as the country detected its first cases of the virus variant linked to the rapid rise in infections in Britain. (reuters)