Indonesia receives first shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines doses through COVAX

Jakarta, 08 March 2021 – Indonesia received 1,113,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine today as the first shipment of the 11,704,800 doses allocated to Indonesia under the COVAX Facility until May.

The COVID-19 vaccine doses, which were sent from AstraZeneca’s hub in Amsterdam, arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta this evening. Subsequent allocations of doses to Indonesia through COVAX are expected to be announced in the coming weeks for the second half of the year.

Indonesia’s Minister of Health and Minister of Foreign Affairs were present to receive the shipment, along with COVAX partners. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner.

The doses received today through COVAX are intended to protect priority groups in the country, and distribution will be made in line with the prioritization criteria outlined in Indonesia’s National Deployment Vaccination Plan.

 “The arrival of vaccines allocated by COVAX Facility demonstrates global solidarity and reignites hope in ending the pandemic. We have a lot of work to do to achieve a safe and smooth vaccination rollout across Indonesia. The time for health equity is now. We need to ensure that these vaccines reach everyone that needs it and that no one is left behind,” said WHO Representative Dr N. Paranietharan.

Today’s shipment is a historic step in what will be the largest global vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. COVAX’s overall ambition by the end of 2021 is to procure and supply 2 billion vaccines to all countries participating in the COVAX Facility.

The COVAX Facility aims to secure enough vaccines for 20 per cent of the population of every participating country, in order to help reduce mortality rates, protect health systems and resume critical services. Low- and lower-middle income countries that have enrolled in the Advance Market Commitment of the COVAX Facility do not pay for the 20 per cent of the doses they receive.

“The delivery of these vaccines is a critical step toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic,” said UNICEF Representative Debora Comini. “With every round of vaccination, a return to normalcy becomes a stronger reality. With every vaccine dose, more people are protected. With every teacher vaccinated, more children have the potential to return to school.”

For several months, COVAX partners have been supporting governments and partners around the world in readiness efforts to prepare for this moment. In Indonesia, UNICEF, WHO and other partners have provided technical assistance to strengthen Indonesia’s cold and supply chains so that the country has adequate infrastructure to transport and store the vaccines for delivery. They have also built the capacities of health workers and worked with communities in addressing misinformation and increasing acceptance of safe vaccines.

“Today’s delivery marks an important milestone for Indonesia, not just in terms of the fightback against COVID-19, but in the wider effort to restore the country’s health by helping routine immunizations against other killer diseases – an area where the country has made so much progress in recent years – get back on track,” said Sam Muller, Head of Country Engagement at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

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Additional quotes

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia

Gary Quinlan, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia welcomed the arrival of COVAX AMC doses. Mr Quinlan said: “There is no higher priority for our region than access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, which will help Indonesia and the region reopen and recover.”

EU Ambassador to Indonesia

 “Today the Indonesian people are receiving a first quota of around 1 million doses under the COVAX Facility to cover the most urgent needs. More vaccines under COVAX will be arriving throughout 2021 and will support Indonesia in its fight against COVID 19. Team Europe - comprising the EU, its Member States and its financial institutions - is proud to be a lead contributor to the COVAX Facility with €2.2 billion (IDR 38 trillion) so far. COVAX is a success story of solidarity and multilateralism, of working together to solve the biggest global challenge we face” said EU Ambassador to Indonesia Vincent Piket

Notes to Editors

• Full COVAX News Note to Editors: https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax/covax-news-note-to-editors
• List of donor pledges to the Gavi COVAX AMC: https://www.gavi.org/sites/default/files/covid/covax/COVAX-AMC-Donors-Table.pdf
• UNICEF COVAX page https://www.unicef.org/supply/covax-ensuring-global-equitable-access-covid-19-vaccines