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JAKARTA: Indonesia received 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China Sinovac Biotech on December 6 and is scheduled to receive raw materials to produce 15 million doses from the same company later this month.
The arrival of the first batch of CoronaVac is part of an agreement between Indonesia and Sinovac, as the country has been testing the vaccine in a late-stage clinical trial since August.
Another 1.8 million doses of the injections are expected to be shipped to Indonesia no later than January, followed by raw materials to produce 30 million doses of the vaccine in the same month.
The agreement guaranteed Indonesia priority access to technical know-how on vaccine production so that its state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma can produce the hits with raw materials.
Bio Farma is the only vaccine producer in the country and has partnered with the University of Padjajaran to conduct the trials in the largest country in Southeast Asia. Late-phase trials of the Sinovac vaccine are also underway in Brazil, Chile and Turkey.
“There will also be a technology transfer. So the ones that will be marketed (in Indonesia) will be those manufactured in Bio Farma, which means that it will carry the Bio Farma brand, ”said Bio Farma’s head of clinical trials, Rini Mulia Sari, in August during a press conference. in the company. Headquarters in Bandung City.
Workers unload a container containing experimental coronavirus vaccines made by the Chinese company Sinovac from the cargo bay of a Garuda Indonesia aircraft at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on December 6, 2020 (Presidential Palace from Indonesia via AP).
About 1,620 volunteers have participated in the clinical trial since August, which is scheduled to last for a period of six months.
The latest development comes as Indonesia prepares for a mass vaccination to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the archipelago, which has so far infected more than 600,000 people and caused more than 19,000 deaths.
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After the first batch of vaccines reached the shores of Indonesia, officials have shed light on the next steps before people can be inoculated.
WHERE ARE THE VACCINES NOW?
Immediately after the 1.2 million Coronavac vaccines arrived at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which serves Greater Jakarta, they were sterilized.
The jabs were subsequently stored in seven cold storage containers and then delivered to Bio Farma’s headquarters in Bandung.
Workers spray disinfectant on a container containing experimental coronavirus vaccines made by the Chinese company Sinovac, upon arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on December 6, 2020 (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP).
About 1,168 police and military escorted the vaccines until they reached the capital city of the West Java province.
Now it is stored at Bio Farma in special refrigerators in a room with a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
The police and military personnel also guard the vaccines at headquarters.
President Joko Widodo said he was grateful for the arrival of the vaccines.
“This means that we can immediately prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak,” he said in a televised speech on December 6.
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However, mass vaccination can only be carried out after the results of the clinical trial have been published and the country’s food and drug agency, BPOM, gives its seal of approval on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
“Scientific considerations and the results of clinical trials will determine when vaccination can begin,” said Jokowi, as the president is popularly known.
NOW WHAT?
Of the 1.2 million single doses of Sinovac, 568 vials have been allocated for a quality test conducted by Bio Farma and BPOM, Bio Farma President Honesti Basyir said on Dec. 8.
While BPOM awaits the results of the clinical trial in Indonesia and other countries, which are expected to be released in late January, the government has begun preparations for the distribution of vaccines throughout the archipelago.
Pharmaceutical company Bio Farma is conducting the last-stage human trial of Sinovac Biotech’s COVID-19 candidate vaccine in Indonesia. (Photo: Kiki Siregar)
This included preparing the support team and human resources and finalizing the vaccination management.
“We have been preparing this for several months through simulations in various provinces, and I am sure that once it has been decided that vaccination can begin, everything will be ready,” said Mr. Widodo in his televised address on December 6.
Since it is impossible to vaccinate everyone simultaneously, the president said, the public should take note of the announcement and instructions from authorities.
The government aims to vaccinate 107 million people ages 18 to 59 through two plans. Indonesia has a population of more than 260 million.
The first program overseen by the Ministry of Health is free for some 32 million people, while the second, under the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, is a paid program for some 75 million citizens.
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Health workers, military and police personnel, as well as public officials who provide direct public services are among the groups that belong to the first scheme.
Private sector workers are among those classified in the second group.
“The data collection process is carried out in an integrated manner through the One Data Vaccination Information System for COVID-19, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Communication and Information,” said Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, the last Thursday (December 10) in Parliament.
The system will not only filter eligible vaccine recipients, but will also serve as an independent government vaccine registry application, mapping the supply and distribution of vaccines.
He will also monitor the results of the vaccination.
WHEN CAN INDONESIANS 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.
If the data looks good and there are no problems, BPOM can grant authorization for emergency use for healthcare workers.
Indonesia’s state-owned company Bio Farma is the sole vaccine producer in the country. (Photo: Kiki Siregar)
For this to happen, the vaccine’s effectiveness rate must be at least 50 percent, according to BPOM.
Meanwhile, a non-emergency clearance and vaccination for other priority groups can likely start in February or March, the agency explained.
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Although Putranto had explained that 30 percent of the target group will receive the blows for free, the parliament has suggested increasing the percentage of people who do not have to pay.
The director of the Ministry of Health and spokesperson for the Siti vaccination program Nadia Tarmidi told local media that the islands of Java and Bali will be prioritized, as they are the most populated regions in the country and are hotspots for COVID-19.
MORE VACCINES TO COME
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.
The head of the economic recovery task force, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, told parliament last Thursday that he has also secured deals with another US firm, Novavax Inc, and plans to hold talks with Moderna, which is based in Massachusetts.
The country is also currently developing its own Merah Putih vaccine, which is named after the colors of the Indonesian flag.
Putranto, the health minister, said in parliament last week that around 246 million doses of vaccine are needed for the two vaccination programs.
Sadikin added that the government has so far secured 125.5 million doses of Sinovac and 30 million of Novavax.
Indonesia is also considering buying 50 million doses each from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, he added.
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NO TIME TO BE COMPLACENT: EXPERT
An Indonesian volunteer from the Sinovac Biotech trial, who wished to be known only as Rizky, told CNA that he was very happy there was a vaccine.
“Because this is a sign that the government is serious about handling this pandemic. There is no country that wants to experience this pandemic continuously, ”he said.
As part of the trial, each volunteer receives two injections. Half of them would be injected with the candidate vaccine while the other half would be given a placebo, only being told which one was given in March.
Mr. Rizky said that he has taken two injections and has not felt any side effects so far from participating in clinical trials.
FILE PHOTO: A worker conducts a quality check at the packaging facility of Chinese vaccine manufacturer Sinovac Biotech, developing an experimental vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a government-organized media tour in Beijing. , China, September 24, 2020. REUTERS / Thomas Peter
Despite the advent of vaccines, University of Indonesia epidemiologist Pandu Riono cautioned against complacency.
“Don’t get euphoric just yet,” Mr. Riono said.
“We are buying vaccines without knowing their effectiveness,” he told CNA.
The health expert said vaccines serve as a secondary prevention measure to slow the spread of the disease.
The primary prevention strategy continues to use masks, wash hands, perform safe distancing, and conduct aggressive testing and case tracking.
“Don’t rush things. A vaccine is not the only solution, ”he said.
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