Jakarta, The Indonesia Post – Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said the government was accelerating the procurement of national vaccines for the vaccination program for pregnant women and toddlers and children following the increasing number of COVID-19 cases which was increasingly worrying.
“To guard against unwanted possibilities in vaccine procurement, I suggest that we should focus more on accelerating national vaccine production,” he said in a written statement received in Jakarta, Saturday.
Muhadjir said that based on data on COVID-19 cost claims from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), the number of confirmed cases of pregnant women with COVID-19 reached 35,099 while newborns aged 0-12 months who also experienced the same thing were 24,591 people.
In response to this fact, said Muhadjir, the government will accelerate the vaccination program for pregnant women, toddlers, and children. This is an effort to prevent transmission and at the same time reduce the rate of increase in confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19.
Muhadjir said the acceleration of vaccination is very necessary. However, for vaccine procurement, it is better to focus on national vaccine production.
“How can this nationally produced vaccine be carried out immediately so that we do not depend on the international market,” he said.
Muhadjir explained that the current world vaccine market situation has a high degree of uncertainty. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continue to experience a significant increase with the presence of new variants that are said to be more infectious.
He even stated firmly that there was no need to exaggerate which vaccine brand should be used. According to him, it is better to consider a faster and more advanced development.
“Of those who are currently taking the initiative, which one is faster and which one is more promising, that is what we will immediately support. I think this is important, the experience in America I think they carry out massive vaccinations and not many procedures because the vaccines are abundant, they can be produced and from various sources,” he said.
Muhadjir believes that if Indonesia can produce as soon as possible from various sources, President Jokowi’s hope to realize communal immunity by the end of 2021 can be realized more quickly. (rma/bbs)
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