Indonesian vaccine countdown

Following the UK, Indonesia is also in a rush to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The first shipments of the Sinovac vaccine have arrived from China, for which the final results of the clinical trial have not yet been published. According to the Associated Press and Bloomberg News on the 7th (local time), Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on the 6th that “1.2 million doses of the Corona 19 vaccine from Sinovac have arrived today.” “The number of vaccines will continue to increase, with 1.8 million doses added next month.”

The Chinese Synovac vaccine arrived in Indonesia. [EPA=연합뉴스]

Since last August, the Synovac vaccine has undergone phase 3 trials in 1,620 local volunteers in Bandung, Indonesia. In addition to the finished Synovac vaccine, Indonesia plans to bring in 15 million doses of vaccine raw materials during this month and 30 million doses next month to produce the vaccine by the state pharmaceutical company BioPharma.

However, President Jokowi explained that “to vaccinate the vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration procedure must be preceded” and “scientific considerations and final clinical results will determine the timing of vaccination.” The Synovac vaccine is also in phase 3 in Brazil and Turkey, with an interim phase 3 result expected in Brazil within this month.

The reason the vaccine can be given before rush use is approved is because the Synovac vaccine is less difficult to store than the Pfizer vaccine. Synovac explains that their vaccine can be stored for up to 3 years at 2-3 degrees from normal refrigerator images.

Airport officials are disinfecting containers containing Chinese Synovac vaccines arriving in Indonesia. [AP=연합뉴스]

In addition to Synovac, Indonesia has confirmed the purchase of six corona vaccines19, including AstraZeneca (UK), NovaVax (US) and Sinoparm (China). According to foreign media such as the Straits Times on the 7th, Indonesia will first vaccinate citizens aged 18 to 59. Unlike other countries where vaccination is administered first to the elderly, the goal is first to equip the age group with active economic activity.

Currently, the cumulative confirmed Corona 19 cases in Indonesia are 57,796 and the cumulative death is 17,740.

Meanwhile, the Korean government also plans to announce plans to secure and supply a vaccine for Corona 19 on the 8th, and the vaccine from a Chinese company is reported to have fallen outside the negotiating target. This is because advanced countries excluded it from purchasing targets and data acquisition was insufficient to ensure safety and efficacy.

Reporter Lim Sun-young [email protected]