VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. As many as 5,978,251 Indonesians, comprising health workers, public service officials, and the elderly, have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, the coronavirus task force reported here on Wednesday.

Of the total vaccine recipients, 2,709,545 have received their second shot, too, it said.

On a single day, 246,041 people received the first dose and 215,123 people got their second dose of the vaccine.

So far, around 14.81 percent of the 40,349,051 targeted recipients under phase I and stage II of the vaccination program have received their first shot and just 6.71 percent have received their second dose, the task force reported.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry's spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said her office is targeting to educate around 7 percent of people who do not wish to be vaccinated and 30 percent who remain doubtful about getting vaccinated.

"To get out of the pandemic, we need to work hand in hand to create herd immunity, that is our stronghold against COVID-19. We must convey this information to vaccine recipients so that they have no doubts and feel ready to be vaccinated," she stated.

The Indonesian government is targeting to vaccinate at least 181.5 million people to build herd immunity against COVID-19.

Health Minister Budi Gunardi Sadikin said in East Java on Tuesday that the ministry has secured a total of 360 million vaccine doses for the nationwide implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program.

The government announced the country's first confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020.

As of March 24, 2021, the nation has reported a total of 1,471,225 confirmed cases, 1,304,921 recoveries, and 39,865 deaths. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. The European Union shouldn’t be the “useful idiot” of the COVID-19 pandemic by exporting vaccines while other countries keep supplies for themselves, a French official said on Wednesday, backing plans for tougher rules on vaccine exports.

“Europe shouldn’t be a sort of useful idiot in the battle against the virus,” the French presidential adviser told reporters ahead of a virtual EU summit on Thursday.

The European Commission will extend EU powers to potentially block COVID-19 vaccine exports to Britain and other areas with much higher vaccination rates, and to cover instances of companies backloading contracted supplies, EU officials have said.

The regulation is aimed at making vaccine trade reciprocal and proportional so that other vaccine-making countries sell to Europe and the EU does not export much more than it imports, one EU official said.

France will support this updated EU system, the French official said. “We have exported a lot (of vaccines), we’ve played by the rules. The same can’t be said about some of our partners,” he said.

The EU had no interest in entering some sort of “blame game” with Britain on vaccine exports, the official said, adding EU politicians had nothing to gain from the row in the eyes of their own public opinion.

“As far as we’re concerned, we have no willingness, no interest in fuelling permanent controversy with Britain.” (Reuters)

Jakarta. India has detected a “double mutant variant” of the novel coronavirus in 206 samples in the worst-hit western state of Maharashtra, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The new variant was also detected in nine samples in the capital New Delhi, the director of the National Centre for Disease Control, Sujeet Kumar Singh, told a news conference. (Reuters)

Jakarta. China’s embassy in the Philippines has blamed “some external countries” for stoking tensions in the region, in remarks aimed at Japan after its ambassador stressed the need for peace and stability and in the South China Sea.

China was criticised by the Philippines and the United States this week after Manila said there were about 220 vessels likely manned by Chinese maritime militia anchored in disputed waters.

“Within our region tensions are rising because some external countries are bent on playing fusty geopolitical games,” the Chinese embassy said on Twitter.

“It is a pity that some Asian country, which has disputes in the East China Sea and is driven by the selfish aim to check China’s revitalisation, willingly stoops as a strategic vassal of the U.S.,” it said.

The comment was a direct response to a Twitter remark by Japan’s ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko, who on Tuesday said his country “opposes any action that heightens tensions” in the South China Sea, and supports international efforts to keep the waters peaceful and open.

China’s extensive territorial claims in the East and South China Seas have become a priority issue in an increasingly testy Sino-U.S. relationship and are a security concern for Japan.

The Philippines complained to China at the weekend about what it called the “swarming and threatening presence” of Chinese vessels at the Whitsun Reef.

China’s mission in the Philippines said those were fishing vessels sheltering from rough seas. It also criticised the United States for “fanning flames and provoking confrontation in the region”.

Philippine military chief Cirilito Sobejana on Wednesday said he had instructed the navy to deploy more boats “to increase our visibility and ensure the security and safety of our fishermen.”

Sobejana said China’s defence attache had met Philippine military representatives on Wednesday after being asked to explain the maritime militia, but he had yet to briefed on the meeting. (Reuters)