Indonesia's COVID-19 Task Force has told hospitals in the country to refrain from taking pre-orders for vaccines amid reports that the practice has become quite widespread.
The task force said advertising a potential vaccine is irresponsible at this point since no vaccine has received regulatory approval in the country.
"Do not promote or carry out programs related to [COVID-19] vaccination before there's an official decision from the government. We don't want there to be a confusion [regarding vaccination]," task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said during a virtual press conference today.
Hospitals have indeed opened registration for COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia. Most offer no details on the type of vaccines that would be used nor how much they would cost.
While the hospitals may not see any harm in being so proactive, it may also be that they took their cue from the government, who earlier this month received 1.2 million doses of a vaccine from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac that has yet to be given regulatory approval.
Barring any grave outcomes from advanced clinical trials of the vaccine, its approval is expected to come in early 2021.
Sinovac, in collaboration with state pharma Bio Farma, is currently holding advanced clinical trials of the vaccine candidate on some 1,600 participants, to reportedly positive outcomes thus far, in Bandung. The government has previously said that it has secured 290 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine candidate, which will be gradually delivered until the end of 2021.
Indonesia has ordered vaccine candidates from five other pharmaceutical firms, including from Pfizer and Moderna, both of which have shown positive results from advanced clinical trials.