Indonesia... Vaccination Program Kicks off at World's 4th Most Populous Country

This morning, Indonesian President Joko Widodo considered that the country's mass COVID-19 vaccination program was important to stop the spread of coronavirus and would help accelerate economic recovery.

Speaking more than an hour after receiving the first shot of the immunization drive, Jokowi, as the president is known, said the program using the CoronaVac vaccine of China's Sinovac Biotech will immediately start in regions across the country.

After Widodo, top military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as well as the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week had ruled the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims.

“This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbor, Indonesian people and the human civilization,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Wednesday.

“This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70% of the world’s people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this program,” he added.

Earlier, the Indonesian government has launched the ambitious program to inoculate 181.5 million people in the world's fourth most populous country.

Conditional use of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine is scheduled to be rolled out in the coming months with health care workers, civil servants and other at-risk populations prioritized first. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.

Sadikin said the two-shot vaccine would require almost 427 million doses, including the estimate that 15% may be wasted.

According to AP, distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago where transportation and infrastructure are inadequate in places. Health officials have cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the required 36–46 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its safety and effectiveness.

“We know that the cold-chain distribution is not complete. This is the obstacle,” Sadikin said Tuesday. “The cold-chain facilities are not enough so we are still distributing some of the vaccines. We are worried.”