VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Northern Ireland, became the first person in the world on Tuesday to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot outside of a trial as Britain began vaccinating its population.

An early riser, Keenan received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at her local hospital in Coventry, central England, on Tuesday morning at 0631 GMT, a week before she turns 91.

A video showed Keenan being pushed in a wheelchair out of the ward while nursing staff clad in protective gear lined the corridor to applaud and cheer, in an echo of moving video clips released through the year when COVID-19 survivors finally left hospital.

Britain is the first Western country to start immunising its general population in what has been hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus.

“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Keenan, as she received the shot from a nurse originally from the Philippines in front of a photographer and TV crew.

“It’s the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year.”

Keenan, known as Maggie to her friends, is a former jewellery shop assistant who only retired four years ago. She has a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.

Video footage showed her wearing a light blue mask, a grey cardigan along with a blue t-shirt with a penguin in snow and the message “Merry Christmas” as she received the shot in her left arm from nurse May Parsons.

“WE WILL BEAT THIS TOGETHER”

Parsons, one of many thousands of people from around the world employed in Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), where she has worked for 24 years, said the last few months had been tough, but there was now light at the end of the tunnel.

Britain is the worst-hit European country from COVID-19, with over 61,000 deaths. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to turn the tide against the disease by rolling out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine before the United States or European Union.

The mass inoculation will fuel hope the world may be turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will limit its use for now.

“Thank you to our NHS, to all of the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine, to all the volunteers - and to everyone who has been following the rules to protect others,” Johnson said on Twitter.

“We will beat this together.”

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Stephen Powis, medical director for NHS England, said they both found it very emotional watching the vaccine programme rollout.

The BBC said the second patient to receive the jab in Britain was a man named William Shakespeare from Warwickshire.

Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. As each person requires two doses, that is enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.

About 800,000 doses are expected to be available within the first week, with care home residents and carers, the over-80s and some health service workers the top priority to get them. (Reuters)

State-owned (BUMN) pharmaceutical holding company Bio Farma confirmed that healthcare workers will be accorded priority during its initial stage of COVID-19 vaccination.

"For the initial stage of vaccines that will arrive and have already arrived, healthcare workers will be prioritized," Bio Farma President Director Honesti Basyir stated during an online press conference here on Tuesday.

Basyir is optimistic that availability of the COVID-19 vaccine for healthcare workers would offer security and protection to those dealing directly with COVID-19 patients.

"Currently, the government is striving to provide protection to health workers and those at the forefront or front liners by providing the COVID-19 vaccine," he confirmed.

However, the vaccine will be given after securing an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Drug and Food Supervisory Board (BPOM), Basyir emphasized.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy had earlier stated that the Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH) and Indonesian Ulema Council's Food and Drug Study Agency (LPPOM MUI) had completed a study on the halal-worthiness of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The MUI will soon issue a fatwa on halal-worthiness of the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to people in Indonesia. For the time being, the MUI is yet in the process of drafting a fatwa on COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia, he remarked.

Muhadjir Effendy, a member of Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Muslim organization, remarked that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was faced with a life-threatening emergency. Thus, if a drug or vaccine is non-halal, it can still be used in an emergency in case no halal drug or vaccine is available. As many as 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by a Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday evening, Dec 6, 2020.

Apart from the 1.2 million doses of vaccine arriving this month, the government is also working on 1.8 million doses of the vaccine to arrive in early January 2021. (Antaranews)

 Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is endorsing global partnership to support the UN's increasingly formidable peacekeeping mission in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has made the tasks of the UN peacekeeping forces more complex. The UN peacekeeping forces are currently also contributing to the handling of the pandemic," Marsudi noted in the Foreign Ministry’s written statement released on Tuesday.

The minister made the remarks during the opening of the Challenges Annual Forum (CAF) held virtually on Monday. The meeting was themed “Framing Peace Operations in a Changing Global Landscape.”

The Norwegian foreign minister and the under-secretary-general of the UN Peace Operation Department also partook in the meeting.

Marsudi highlighted the importance of ensuring that the UN peacekeeping mission remains responsive to the ever-evolving on-field challenges.

To this end, partnership is the key to the peacekeeping mission as a collective effort and common responsibility, she remarked.

The minister highlighted three crucial issues, with the first being to ensure again support from all sides for the UN peacekeeping mission, while the second pertains to preparing well-trained soldiers, and the third focuses on promoting the role of female soldiers in peacekeeping operations.

Peacekeeping forces that receive political support and funding will be able to implement their mandate effectively. Moreover, increasing importance has been attached to ensure health protection for the UN peacekeeping force during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marsudi noted that the peacekeeping forces must also be groomed optimally, including ensuring their security to perform their duties optimally.

In this context, Indonesia remains resolute to supporting capacity building, including training for UN peacekeeping personnel through close partnership with all stakeholders, including regional organizations, she stated.

The minister affirmed that Indonesia's commitment to the issue was reflected by Resolution of UN Security Council 2538 proposed by Indonesia and endorsed in August 2020.

For its part, the international community is expected to work towards implementing the resolution by strengthening capacity and creating a conducive environment for female personnel in the peacekeeping operations, among others, she stated.

At the opening session, the Norwegian foreign minister lauded Indonesia for its initiative to promote Resolution 2538 and highlighted the significance of the political process in the peace mission, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The CAF is a dialog forum among decision makers, practitioners, and academics to discuss key issues and development of the US peacekeeping mission. (Antaranews)

The government is faced with the challenge of bringing about full economic recovery amid pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020 and 2021, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

"Resilience is expected. Not only rise up but fully recover, and this is our challenge for the fourth quarter of 2020 and the year 2021," Indrawati noted during a virtual discussion here on Tuesday.

The minister pointed out that the country had begun witnessing an economic reversal in the third quarter of 2020, albeit still having clocked negative growth.

Economic reversal was the result of stimulus in the National Economic Recovery (PEN) Program, with Rp695.2 trillion of budget allocated and six sectors prioritized.

Indrawati reiterated the need for various supporting policies until next year to maintain the momentum of economic resilience to usher in full recovery.

"In terms of economic recovery, the 2021 state budget would be crucial," she pointed out.

The minister noted that this year's expenditure was recorded at Rp2.739.2 trillion, while the revenue reached Rp1,699.9 trillion, thereby making the balance deficit of Rp1,039 trillion, or 6.34 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

The fiscal policy in 2020 will be maintained until 2021 to lower the deficit to 5.7 percent of the GDP, or some Rp1,006.37 trillion, as the government will continue to prioritize COVID-19 response and continue development projects.

The state expenditure in 2021 is expected to reach Rp2,705 trillion and revenue at Rp1,746 trillion.

"The deficit is still quite wide since next year, the discourse across the world regarding fiscal and monetary policy is to not revoke the policy too early since the economy can record a plunge again," she cautioned.

The minister expounded that the government's strategic policy in 2021 will encompass education, with budget allocation of Rp550.5 trillion; Rp169.7 trillion for health; Rp421.7 trillion for social protection; Rp413.8 trillion for infrastructure; Rp104.2 trillion for food security; Rp15.7 trillion for tourism; and Rp29.6 trillion for ICT to support public activities highly dependent on internet lines. (Antaranews)