According to Bambang Heriyanto, spokesman of the state-owned
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Health,
"We need 15 months to have it accomplished. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from
The country, which has been conducting trials with the Sinovac vaccine since August, is preparing for a massive inoculation program and will receive a second shipment of 1.8 million doses this month.
Likewise, the researchers expect to receive the raw material also this month in order to produce some 15 million doses of the vaccine in the laboratories of the Asian nation, the fourth most populated in the world.
The vaccine, which will be free for the entire population, will first be inoculated to health workers, officials and high-risk segments of the population.
Tarmizi warned that people would need to continue following health guidelines for the foreseeable future while the vaccine is rolled out across the massive archipelago.
"We still have a long way to go before being able to get out of this coronavirus pandemic. An effective fight against it is conducting vaccination programs and consistently practicing 3M health protocols," she said. "3M" refers to "menjaga jarak", or social distancing; "mencuci tangan", hand-washing; and "memakai masker", mask-wearing. EFE
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