AstraZeneca vaccine. (Image via Anadolu Agency)

Indonesia to receive dozens of AstraZeneca vaccine dosages

The Indonesia Government expected to receive dozens of millions of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, for the first quarter of 2021. The information also came with the letter from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) on Friday last week.

Written in the letter, reportedly, GAVI has confirmed its COVID-19 vaccine delivery to Indonesia with the initial allocation of 13.7 million to 23.1 million dosages of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The delivery will be done in two stages: Q1 of 25-35 percent, and Q2 of 65-75 percent, through the multilateral cooperation scheme of GAVI and COVAX Facility, cooperation of vaccine development between the World Health Organization (WHO) and GAVI.

Moreover, the procurement of vaccines through GAVI's scheme is free of charge for an even COVID-19 vaccine access of distribution for poor and developing countries. Speaking on Monday, the Spokesperson for Vaccination at Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, confirmed the news.

Nadia also asserted that the COVID-19 vaccine distribution will only be done after the AstraZeneca vaccine obtained Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the WHO, validation from the Independent Allocation of Vaccine Group (AIVG), and supply availability according to the initial prediction. However, the European Medicines Agency of the European Union had already given the recommendation for AstraZeneca's vaccine to be used for people aged 18 above, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine to be used in the European continent.

According to the study and clinical trial, AstraZeneca's vaccine is safe and effective for the elderly aged 60 years above. Therefore, Nadia expected the vaccine may suppress the COVID-19-related mortality rate in Indonesia that mostly took the elderly. She added that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be in accordance with the Indonesian Government's target to vaccinate 181 million people in order to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.

Previously, Indonesia has announced its commitment to hail 663 million dosages of COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca (Britain-Sweden), Sinovac (China), Novavax (the U.S-Canada), and Pfizer (the U.S).

Source: https://bit.ly/2MchGL9