Natasia Christy Wahyuni, Jakarta – Indonesia is making preparations to double the daily number of Covid-19 vaccine jabs to 2 million per day, a target that should have been materialized since the start of the month per presidential instruction.

The Health Ministry said on Tuesday the target remains within reach with more vaccinators recruited and more vaccines acquired.

"We currently have around 125,000 vaccinators and an additional 50,000 midwives currently under training to administer doses. As for vaccine supplies at the central storage managed by [state-run pharmaceutical company] Bio Farma, the outstanding stock is 50 million doses," Health Ministry spokeswoman Siti Nadia Tarmizi said.

The majority of doses being used in the country are Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine, while the country also took deliveries of vaccines donated by foreign governments such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and the United Arab Emirates through UN-approved global procurement scheme Covax.

Indonesia has received more than 8 million doses of Moderna vaccine from the US government, in addition to more than 8 million AstraZeneca doses from the UK government, the Japanese government and the vaccine producer itself.

The UAE has sent at least 250,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

Overall, Indonesia has procured 178.7 million doses so far, including 19.7 million from Covax donation, that will cover 43 percent of the target population, according to the Jakarta Globe tally.

Nadia said vaccine deliveries will continue until the end of the year.

Indonesia will need 416 million doses to vaccinate 208 million citizens, including those aged 12-18, in order to reach the population immunity, health authorities have said.

More than 21 million citizens or just above 10 percent of target population have been fully vaccinated, according to the latest government figures. Indonesia has administered nearly 70 million doses since the vaccination drive began in mid-January.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said earlier a further 72 million doses are expected to arrive later this month.

"If everything goes according to schedule, we will receive another 331 million doses between August and December... altogether will be enough to inoculate 220 million Indonesian people," Budi said on Monday.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-gears-up-for-2-million-covid-vaccine-jabs-per-da