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JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has volunteered to be the first person in the country to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
He also said that vaccines will be available to citizens “at no cost” in a video uploaded to the State Palace YouTube channel on Wednesday (December 16).
The country had received 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech on December 6 and is scheduled to receive raw materials to produce 15 million doses from the same company by the end of this month.
However, the CoronaVac vaccine is still in late-stage trials in Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, and Turkey. The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) will only give its seal of approval on the quality, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine when the results of the clinical trial are published.
In a government survey in September, about 65 percent of those surveyed said they were willing to get vaccinated. However, only 35 percent of those who said they wanted to be vaccinated were willing to pay.
Mr. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, said in the video: “I will personally become the first recipient (of the vaccine) to increase confidence among people that the vaccines used are safe.”
READ: Indonesia now has 1.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in its possession. Whats Next?
The government had previously planned to offer the vaccines free of charge to around 32 million health workers, military and police personnel, as well as public officials, while the rest of the people would have to pay to get vaccinated.
Indonesia has a population of more than 260 million.
The decision drew criticism, with some people highlighting the fact that other countries are providing the vaccines for free.
“After receiving contributions from citizens and after we made a new calculation on the state coffers, I can say that COVID-19 vaccines for citizens will be free. Free and at no charge, ”said Jokowi.
“Therefore, I instructed all members of the cabinet, ministries, agencies and regional governments to prioritize vaccination in their 2021 budget. I also direct the Minister of Finance to prioritize and reallocate other expenses to ensure the availability of these free vaccines, so there is no reason for people not to get vaccinated. “
BPOM, the food and drug agency, has said that the earliest the vaccine can be administered is when the results of the clinical trial are known in late January.
In addition to the Sinovac Biotech vaccines, Indonesia is also working with US drug maker Pfizer, British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and the global COVAX vaccine program.
Indonesia is one of the worst countries affected by the pandemic with more than 600,000 cases and close to 20,000 deaths.
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