JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo received the first injection of a Chinese vaccine COVID-19 on Wednesday after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccinate millions of people in the fourth most populous country in the world.
After Widodo, senior military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as was the secretary of the Indonesian Council of Ulema, the clerical body that last week decided that the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims. Others, such as a healthcare professional, entrepreneurs and a social media influencer, also received injections to encourage people to get the vaccine when it becomes available.
“We need to do the vaccination to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 chain and to provide health protection for us and safety for all Indonesians. It will also help accelerate economic improvement, ”said Widodo.
“This vaccine is the instrument that we can use to protect ourselves. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbor, the Indonesian people and human civilization, ”said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, on Wednesday.
“This vaccine is administered to obtain collective immunity. All 70% of the world’s population must be vaccinated for this to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this program, ”he said.
The conditional use of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine is scheduled to be launched in the coming months, giving priority to health professionals, civil servants and other populations at risk. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.
For Indonesia to vaccinate two-thirds of its population, 181.5 million people, Sadikin said the double vaccine would require nearly 427 million doses, including an estimate that 15% may be wasted.
Distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago, where transportation and infrastructure are limited in some places. Health officials cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the temperature of 36–46 degrees Fahrenheit needed to maintain its safety and effectiveness.
“We know that the distribution of the cold chain is not complete. This is the obstacle, ”said Sadikin on Tuesday. “The facilities in the cold chain are not enough, so we are still distributing some of the vaccines. We are concerned.”
Indonesia received its first shipment of Sinovac vaccines on December 6 and began distributing the doses across the country pending emergency use authorization. It was released for emergency use based on clinical trial data and after the Indonesian Ulema Council declared the vaccine sacred and halal.
Indonesia’s vaccination program is the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China.
Indonesia recorded more than 846,000 cases of the virus, including more than 24,600 deaths.
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