[ad_1]
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo received the first dose of CoronaVac from Sinovac Biotech on Wednesday (January 13), becoming the first person in the country to be vaccinated.
Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, was hit at the presidential palace in Jakarta in an event that was broadcast live on national television.
Among those present were some members of the Cabinet, who will also be vaccinated on Wednesday.
On Monday, Indonesia gave the Sinovac vaccine its first approval for emergency use outside of China, as interim data from a late-stage clinical trial conducted in the country showed its efficacy rate at 65.3 percent.
Sinovac’s CoronaVac works by using dead viral particles to expose the body’s immune system to the virus. It requires two doses to be effective.
With Mr. Widodo receiving the vaccine, the vaccination program in Indonesia has officially started.
An estimated 1.48 million healthcare workers will be vaccinated starting this week. More than 560,000 people are expected to be vaccinated in January, while the remaining 900,000 are scheduled to receive the vaccine in February.
A total of 17.4 million civil servants in the high-risk category will be next in line.
READ: Indonesia now has 1.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in its possession. Whats Next?
On Tuesday, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in parliament that 21.5 million people from the elderly group will be vaccinated starting in April with vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca, followed by workers aged 18 to 59. years.
With more than 840,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 24,500 deaths, Indonesia is the worst affected country in Southeast Asia.
The country has so far secured more than 300 million doses of vaccines, including at least 125.5 million doses of Sinovac, 50 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca, 54 million COVAX and 30 million Novavax.
Its goal is to inoculate more than 180 million people from its population of more than 260 million to achieve herd immunity.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
