JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he would be the first person in the country to be vaccinated and announced the COVID-19 vaccine will be free for all citizens. Originally, the government said only health workers, the elderly and other key personnel would be given the vaccine for free.
“So, after receiving a lot of input from the public and after recalculating, recalculating state finances, I can say that the COVID-19 vaccine for the public is free,” he told the media on Wednesday (12/16), without give further details when he would take the vaccine or when the national inoculation program would start.
The head of state has instructed all levels in the cabinet, ministries, agencies and local governments to prioritize the vaccination program in the 2021 fiscal year. He also instructed and ordered the minister of finance to prioritize and reallocates other budget related to the availability and vaccination for free.
“I also want to emphasize again, later on I will be the first recipient, vaccinated for the first time. This is to give trust and confidence to the public that the vaccines used are safe,” he stated.
Earlier, state-owned drug maker, PT Bio Farma, said Indonesian government need funds around Rp68 trillion (US$4.82 billion) to produces vaccines in 2021, in order to exit from COVID-19 outbreak. Next year, the country targeting to vaccinates 170 million people.
According to the CEO, Honesti Basyir, these number is 70 percent of Indonesian population followed the World Health Organization guidelines to achieve herd immunity. He stated “We need 340 million doses next year.”
The former CEO of PT Kimia Farma Tbk (IDX: KAEF), revealed, the assumption based on the vaccine price of Rp200,000 a dose. To finances the program, he continued, there will be a presidential decree.
Currently, the company collaborating with China’ pharmacy firm, Sinovac, runs three clinical trials and is expecting to be done in January 2021. If successful, an emergency use permit will be immediately requested to the Food and Drug Administration agency so the national vaccination program starts on February 2021.
In addition, said Basyir, the subsidiary, Kimia Farma, is also waiting for the results of cooperation with a company from Abu Dhabi, G42, to procure vaccines in Indonesia. Bio Farma is also waiting clinical trial results from other vaccines such as those from CanSInoBIO, AstraZeneca and Novavax.
Beside with Sinovac, the producer also collaborated with world institutions, such as with CEPI and GAVI. Other unit, PT Indofarma Tbk (IDX: INAF) also ready to distribute the anti-Corona drug Remdesivir under the brand Desrem. The drug is produced by Mylan Laboratories Ltd., under license from Gilead Sciences Inc (NASDAQ: GILD), Foster City from the United States.
“The product we are going to distribute in the near future is Desrem Remdesivir Inj 100mg, which has received Emergency Use Authorization approval in Indonesia and has been approved by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency through the issuance of a Circular Permit Number which was issued on Sept. 30,” said CEO of Indofarma, Arief Pramuhanto on Monday (10/05).
He assured, Desrem Remdesivir will go on sale in this week and is a drug used for use in inpatients with COVID-19 in moderate-severe conditions. Then, for this month’s stock availability, there are already around 400,000 vials (small bottles) with prices that are certainly affordable for the public.
US$1: Rp14,100
Written by Editorial Staff, Email: theinsiderstories@gmail.com
