VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

International collaboration, both between countries and institutions, is needed in order to develop a COVID-19 vaccine quickly, said Presidential Chief of Staff, Moeldoko, on Wednesday.



"We must immediately find a vaccine to end this pandemic. Collaboration between countries and international institutions is very important as (part of) efforts to find this vaccine in a short (frame of) time,” Moeldoko said during his meeting with the chairman of the COVID-19 Research and Innovation Consortium at the Bina Graha Building in Jakarta.



Moeldoko said the whole world is currently racing to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. Likewise, Indonesia is also conducting research so that it can produce its own vaccine, given the large size of its population, he added.



The effort towards local vaccine production is intended to identify certain types of vaccines that are suitable for the coronavirus strain seen in Indonesia, which may show different characteristics compared to other types of virus strains reported in other countries, he continued.

The push for the vaccine is in line with the President's instructions to accelerate the handling of COVID-19 and support public health.

In addition, the development of a vaccine is part of efforts to build national independence in the health sector.

"The development of a COVID-19 vaccine is also a matter of health sovereignty and national pride," Moeldoko said

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Presidential Staff Office has coordinated with various parties, ranging from ministries and government agencies, the Task Force, hospitals, universities, and the industry in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, which has spread rapidly.

"From the beginning, we formed the COVID-19 Integrated Information Center (PINTER) as the official communication media (center) for handling corona. In addition, we also distributed protective equipment, medical devices, and masks directly to various hospitals and communities," Moeldoko said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the COVID-19 Research and Innovation Consortium, Ali Ghufron Mukti, explained that in developing the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia, the government has entered into two forms of collaboration, namely domestic and international.

"It must be ensured that international collaboration in developing vaccines truly benefits the Indonesian people," Ali Ghufron Mukti said.

According to Ali, LBM Eijkman is currently developing a vaccine through the sub-unit method of recombinant protein, using a coronavirus strain originating from Indonesia. This method was chosen because Indonesia has the required technology and experience to use it, and it is accustomed to developing vaccines using that technique.

Indonesia has also entered into international collaborations for developing a COVID-19 vaccine: PT Kalbe Farma has tied up with Genexine, PT BCHT with China National Biotech Group Company Limited, PT Biofarma with Sinovac, and PT Biofarma with CEPI.

Until now, Indonesia has submitted 16 Whole Genome Sequences (WGS) to the Global Science Initiative and Primary Source for Genomics (GISAID). Ten of the WGS are the result of research conducted by LBM Eijkman, while 6 WGS have been submitted by Airlangga University. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo urged Indonesian military (TNI) and National Police (Polri) youth officers to make the dire situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic work in their favor by bolstering national strength and achieving leapfrog progress.

"We must not only be able to solve problems arising from the pandemic but we must also be able to make the dire situation presented by the pandemic to work in our favor by strengthening the nation and making leaps of progress," the president remarked during the teleconferencing ceremony of officers at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday.

The president revealed that officers physically present at the State Palace this year were only the best ones or the recipients of Adhi Makayasa from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Polri, as well as the parents of the finest officers.

"We avoid face-to-face meetings in the Palace yard, but this time, we hold it virtually. Only Adhi Makayasa recipients and their parents are physically present at the State Palace representing the brothers," the president remarked.

The head of state highlighted the need for Indonesians to fully comprehend the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the country and also 215 nations in the world. The pandemic of this infectious disease has raised complex health and economic issues, but the Indonesian nation will continue to persevere to surmount over all difficulties.

"Some 215 countries in the world are reeling from the same problem, but as a warrior nation, we must not surrender," he emphasized.

The head of state reiterated that in the wake of this pandemic situation, Indonesian people could create various leaps of progress. Breakthroughs or policy maneuvers are deemed necessary to solve the problems arising from the new type of Coronavirus.

The crisis caused by the pandemic is also expected to strengthen mutual cooperation among members of the community. To this end, the president has called on the TNI-Polri teenage officers to expedite their mechanism of working and study the development of industrial technology to resolve the crisis owing to the COVID-19.

"The crisis caused by the COVID pandemic can strengthen our care and cooperation. Boosting our unity and togetherness, accelerating efforts to improve the way we work, and also expediting the development of our technology and industry," he added. (ANTARA)