3.5 Million Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine Arrive in Indonesia
Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi delivers a virtual press statement on the arrival of 3.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, Tuesday (13/7). (Source: Screenshot of Presidential Secretariat Youtube Channel)
Another 3.5 million doses of ready-to-use AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for the national vaccination drive has arrived at Soekarno Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten Province, Tuesday (13/7).
“Today once again, we are witnessing a concrete effort from COVAX to distribute vaccines for Advance Market Commitment (AMC) countries. Indonesia received as many as 3,476,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX Facility multilateral cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi said in a virtual press statement on the arrival of COVID-19 vaccine.
For the record, Retno has been elected as one of the co-chairs of the multilateral cooperation program for vaccine COVAX AMC Engagement Group along with the Ethiopian Minister of Health and Canadian Minister of International Development.
According to the Minister, that was the 8th vaccine delivery carried out via the COVAX Facility. With the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Indonesia obtained 14,704,860 doses of finished vaccines for free through multilateral cooperation.
The Minister also expressed appreciation for the support from all relevant stakeholders on the distribution of the vaccines.
“I would like to express my highest appreciation to COVAX, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),” she said.
The Minister revealed that Indonesia has secured 137,611,540 doses of vaccine in total, be it in the form of raw materials and finished vaccines. Retno also said that in the near future Indonesia would also receive the COVID-19 vaccine through multilateral and bilateral cooperations.
“In the next few days, Indonesia will also receive dose-sharing vaccines through the multilateral cooperation, the COVAX Facility, namely Moderna vaccine from the United States as the second delivery. There will be also dose-sharing through bilateral cooperation from Japan and the United Arab Emirates on the second delivery,” she said.
On that occasion, Retno reiterated that the Government will continue to work hard in order to secure vaccine supply for all Indonesian people and continue to encourage equitable access to vaccines at the global level.
“The health and safety of the people must be the top priority. Do continue to comply with health protocols and limit mobility for the time being, continue to wear masks, keep your distance, and wash your hands frequently. Insyaallah, with all of our efforts, hard work, discipline, and the unity of all elements of the nation, we will be able to escape this pandemic sooner,” she remarked. (UN) (RIF/LW)
