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Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during a webinar on the World Immunization Week 2021. ANTARA/screenshot of Health Ministry's YouTube account/sh - 

The Health Ministry intends to expand its national immunization program, under the strategic plan of health reform, with the inclusion of three other vaccines, in a bid to lower the maternal and child mortality rates.

"This is because one target in our medium-term development plan (RPJMN) is reducing the maternal and child mortality rates, and we know that many newborn babies have died of diarrhea and pneumonia," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated during a webinar on World Immunization Week 2021 here on Saturday.

The ministry has tweaked the concept of basic immunization into routine immunization, comprising basic immunization and advanced immunization, he revealed.

Health facilities have earlier administered 11 vaccines to children in the national immunization program, and in 2022, the program will include three other vaccines: PCV, HPV and rotavirus.

PCV, or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is given to safeguard infants, young children, and adults from the disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, including meningitis and pneumonia.

HPV, or human papillomavirus vaccines, are vaccines that prevent infection by certain types of human papillomavirus that cause the greatest risk of cervical cancer. HPV is important to be given in early age.

The Rotavirus vaccine is administered to protect against rotavirus infections, which are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among young children.

"We have designing the strategic plan of health reform as ordered by the president. We have decided that Indonesia will administer 14 vaccines in the national program next year," Sadikin remarked.

Inclusion of the three new vaccines is expected to reduce maternal and infant mortality rate, so Indonesia can benefit from the demographic bonus.

"Public participation is crucial. I experienced first-hand during the COVID-19 vaccination that it is not an easy job. If we can do it together, we can conduct 14 routine vaccinations for all Indonesians," he remarked.

Indonesian Medical Association’s (IDI’s) spokesman, Hartono Gunardi, hailed the ministry's plan to include three more vaccines in its routine vaccination program.

"This is a gift for us all -- the PCV, HPV, and rotavirus immunizations -- for all Indonesian children," he stated//ANT

A screen grab of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, at the press conference held online regarding the arrival of the third batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX facility multilateral scheme. ANTARA/Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga - 

Indonesia received the third batch of ready-to-use COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, under the COVAX facility multilateral scheme, at the Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Tangerang on Saturday.

“Today, we need to be grateful that Indonesia is able to receive again the third batch of the vaccine under the COVAX facility multilateral scheme,” Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated during an online press conference here on Saturday.

Marsudi confirmed the arrival of 1,3,389,600 doses of the ready-to-use vaccine on Saturday.

Earlier, on Thursday (May 6), as many as 55,300 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine also arrived here.

“Overall, a total of 1,444,900 doses of the ready-to-use AstraZeneca vaccine of the third batch reached by this week under the COVAX facility scheme,” she noted.

The minister stated that 6,410,500 doses of the ready-to-use AstraZeneca vaccine, under the multilateral scheme, had arrived in Indonesia.Collectively, the number of vaccine doses received by Indonesia, so far, has reached 75,910,500.

Of the total doses of vaccines, 68,500,000 were from Sinovac, 6,410,500 were from AstraZeneca under the COVAX facility, and one million were from Sinopharm.

Marsudi highlighted that Indonesia was sentient of the fact that upholding the commitment to providing equal access to vaccination for all nations was no easy task.

The COVAX facility, supported by GAVI, WHO, and CEPI and in cooperation with UNICEF, has made unwavering attempts to provide vaccine equally to all countries, according to the minister.

“I laud the efforts. Since the start of the pandemic, Indonesia has consistently voiced for equal access to the vaccine for all. Indonesia also supports the COVID-19 patent deletion to boost the capacity of vaccine productivity globally,” she highlighted.

On May 17, 2021, the Indonesian foreign affairs minister, along with the Ethiopian health minister and Canadian international development minister, will chair the meeting of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group.

The meeting is aimed at discussing the current situations pertaining to the attempts to ensuring equitable vaccine access for all countries//ANT

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (center) while reviewing the process of examining the antigen swab test at the Pulo Gebang Terminal, East Jakarta, during the homecoming exodus ban, Saturday (8/5/2021). (ANTARA / Dewa Ketut Sudiarta Wiguna) - 

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi commended the people opting to stay homebound, as reflected in the drop in the number of passengers, even reaching over 95 percent in several transportation modes.

"I laud the public for understanding and abiding by the government’s ban on the homecoming exodus. Indeed, this policy is used to protect us all from exposure to COVID-19," the transportation minister remarked while inspecting the Pulo Gebang Terminal in East Jakarta on Saturday.

Sumadi noted that on the first day of the homecoming exodus ban, on Thursday (May 6), the number of passengers departing from the Pulo Gebang Terminal only reached 11 people, while on the second day on Friday (May 7), the figure was recorded at 40.

The minister expounded that the decrease in the movement of passengers out of Jakarta is estimated to be nearly 90 percent.

"Usually, that is one thousand people, though now, only 40 people were observed," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the movement of passengers at the Soekarno Hatta Airport and other airports in the country also decreased, even up to 95 percent.

The minister noted that the homecoming ban was also implemented optimally for the rail transportation sector at the Pasar Senen Station, Jakarta.

"Today, I ensure that the government’s policy on banning the homecoming exodus is being implemented properly in various sectors. This morning, I went to the Pasar Senen Station and now at Pulo Gebang," he remarked.

The transportation minister also cited the reasons for the ban on going home while highlighting that the policy was adopted to contain the transmission of COVID-19.

Sumadi noted that the government had made an exception wherein people were permitted to travel specifically for non-homecoming purposes under four criteria -- family death, duty or service, pregnancy, and illness -- with the requirements to be met.

All these non-travelers must fulfill the requirements to bring a written permit, specifically a letter of entry and exit permit (SIKM) from the village head//ANT

7 community cases among 20 new COVID-19 infections in Singapore - 

Seven community cases were among the 20 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Saturday (May 8), said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Of these, two cases were linked to previous infections and had already been placed on quarantine.

Among them, nine are Singaporeans or permanent residents.

No new cases were reported in migrant workers' dormitories.

Details of the new cases will be released on Saturday night, said MOH.

On Friday, the Ministry of Manpower said Singapore would stop accepting new entry applications for work pass holders from higher-risk countries and regions.

This excludes workers needed for key strategic projects and infrastructural works.

Higher-risk countries and regions refer to all places except Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. 

Work pass holders from higher-risk places who earlier received approval to enter Singapore before Jul 5 will no longer be allowed to do so - except for migrant domestic workers and those in the construction, marine shipyard and process industry.

As of Saturday, Singapore has reported a total of 61,331 COVID-19 cases//CNA