Indonesia Still has 5 Million Doses COVID-19 Vaccine

Jakarta – Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, stated that Indonesia still has a stock of 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which is sufficient to meet the demand until the end of 2023.

"The COVID-19 vaccination policy until the end of the year has not depleted the remaining stock of 5 million doses," said Maxi Rein Rondonuwu during the FMB9 Dialogue titled "Officially, COVID-19 Becomes an Endemic" which was attended online in Jakarta on Monday.

He mentioned that the supply of IndoVac and InaVac vaccines comes from domestic production capabilities involving pharmaceutical companies PT Bio Farma and PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia.

Maxi stated that the utilization of vaccine supplies during the endemic period is currently being discussed with relevant parties from the field of epidemiology and the Indonesia Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (ITAGI).

The discussion points are related to the integration process of COVID-19 vaccination services into the national routine program, injection intervals, target participants, and financing mechanisms.

These discussions refer to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) which direct the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with comorbidities.

"For those who have not accessed primary vaccination, the government will cover the costs," he said.

Maxi targets that the provisions related to COVID-19 vaccination during the endemic period will be completed by 2024.

During the same agenda, Epidemiologist from Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman, stated that domestic vaccine production is a strategic policy amidst the ongoing threat of COVID-19 during the endemic period.

"The transition from the acute phase to a fully controlled endemic status takes 20 to 30 years. This means that the need for vaccines will always exist, especially for primary vaccinations for children," he said.

He mentioned that dependence on imported production has made Indonesia lag behind due to the challenging nature of vaccine production.

According to Dicky, there are three scenarios that can transition the status of a pandemic to an endemic, namely through vaccines and medications or through factors that change the behavior of the virus.

"The impact of vaccines is significant, including a decrease in deaths by up to 47 percent and a decrease in new cases by around 37 percent," he said.