JOKOWI TO GET FIRST COVID-19 VACCINATION IN INDONESIA

5 JAN 2021

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and cabinet ministers would be getting COVID-19 vaccine jabs on Jan 13 to raise public confidence on the vaccine.

Indonesian Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin in a statement said Jokowi would be the first person to be given the vaccination in Indonesia.

“The first vaccine shots will be carried out on the President and cabinet ministers next Wednesday.

"It is hoped the vaccination would be extended to districts simultaneously the following day with priority given to health front liners, local leaders and so on,” he said.

On Dec 16, Jokowi announced that the COVID-19 vaccine jabs would be given free to the people in the republic.

On Dec 6 last year, Indonesia received 1.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China, while 1.8 million doses of vaccine were received on Dec 31.

Budi Gunadi in a statement issued earlier also said besides the Sinovac vaccine from China, the Indonesian government would also purchase 426 million more doses of vaccine from Astrazeneca, Pfizer, and Novovax.

Meanwhile, according to data published on the official twitter site of the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) today, COVID-19 infections in the republic have increased to 779,548 cases with an additional 7,445 new cases in the past 24 hours.

From 12 noon yesterday to noon today, another 198 fatalities were reported, bringing the total COVID-19 deaths in Indonesia to 23,109 people now. -Bernama