Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia received another batch of Sinovac's Covid-19 bulk vaccines at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang on Monday.

"Today, we welcome 10.28 million doses of bulk Sinovac vaccine, including an overfill or an extra of 10 and 1 RKN [container of] reagents," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a virtual press conference on Monday.

The new shipment brings Indonesia's total Sinovac bulk vaccine supply to 115.5 million doses, which will then be processed by state-owned pharmaceutical firm Bio Farma.

Budi estimated Bio Farma would produce about 93 million finished vaccine doses from the existing bulk. He also hoped the bulk vaccine arrival would help the government achieve its target of administering two million doses a day in August.

"Boosting the vaccination drive is part of the government's effort to curb the current Covid-19 spike," he said.

Health protocols, stricter social restrictions, and improved 3Ts (testing, tracing, and treatment) must also be backed with a strong vaccination drive, according to Budi.

On Sunday, Indonesia welcomed a shipment of 3 million Moderna vaccines from the US via the vaccine-sharing scheme Covax facility. The US government has pledged to provide a total of about 4.5 million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine to Indonesia, in tranches.

On July 2, the National Drug and Food Supervisory Agency (BPOM) approved Moderna for emergency use. Indonesia is also planning to administer Moderna as a third dose for its medical workers, as the pandemic wreaks havoc.

"Health workers are under incredible pressure especially amid the second wave of the pandemic. We hope to ensure their maximum safety," Budi said in a separate statement over the weekend.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-receives-more-sinovac-bulk-vaccine