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JAKARTA – Indonesia aims to begin administering coronavirus vaccines in early November relying on supply from Chinese drug makers as the world’s fourth most populous country battles a health crisis that may result in its first recession in more than two decades.
The Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment said on Monday (October 12) that CanSino Biologics, the first Chinese company to test a Covid-19 vaccine in humans, will supply 100,000 doses in November.
Sinovac Biotech, a China-based company, will supply three million doses in December. The firm has been working with Indonesia’s state pharmaceutical company Bio Farma since April on a Covid-19 vaccine.
Another five million doses will come, starting in November, from a partnership between the Chinese state pharmaceutical company Sinopharm and the United Arab Emirates technology company G42.
The three vaccines, which are in the third and final phase of clinical trials, have received authorization for emergency use from China, the ministry said in a statement.
“Health workers, paramedics, public officials, military and police, educational personnel of all levels will be the first to receive the vaccines,” added Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto in the statement.
Indonesia began training health officials at community clinics to administer Covid-19 vaccines since late September.
Dr. Terawan said the vaccines will be available for sale later, but will remain free to low-income groups.
The statement follows a trip to Kunming, China, last week by senior Indonesian officials.
The delegation included Dr. Terawan, the director of the country’s food and drug agency, Dr. Penny K. Lukito; Honesti Basyir, president and director of Bio Pharma; and Mr. Luhut Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs.
Luhut, who was appointed by President Joko Widodo in September to lead the fight against Covid-19 in Indonesia, held a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
During the visit, China and Indonesia announced agreements to work on the research, production and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine.
On Saturday, Mr. Luhut quoted Mr. Wang as describing that Indonesia has the largest capacity for vaccine production in Southeast Asia.
Bio Farma, which produces vaccines against polio and BCG, mainly used against tuberculosis, will begin production of the Covid-19 vaccine in November.
The Sinovac-Bio Pharma vaccine is based on an inactivated whole virus, a mature vaccine technology that has also been used to produce vaccines against influenza and polio.
Rather, many pharmaceutical companies are working on next-generation platforms that involve the use of the DNA or RNA of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
If the ongoing trial is successful, Bio Farma plans to increase production to its maximum capacity of 250 million doses per year.
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