19 million Indonesians are in desperate need of long-lasting donations. There are no longer any COVID-19 vaccinations on the market.

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

In Indonesia's national vaccine supply, there are 19 million doses. COVID-19. As donated shots arrive with a short shelf life, 19 stockpiles have expired this year, with 1.5 million more expected to expire next month, according to a health official (Mar 30).

With the help of donations from wealthier countries, Indonesia and many other developing countries are stepping up their immunisation campaigns, but they have been asking for donations with a longer shelf life.

 

A senior health ministry official, Lucia Rizka Andalusia, told a parliamentary panel that 97 percent of the 19.3 million tablets that expired between January and March were given.

She said the majority of the expired shots were AstraZeneca's, but they also contained Moderna's.
Indonesia receives donations from countries like as Australia and the United States under the COVAX global vaccine sharing scheme.

 

At the same hearing, I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, a foreign ministry official, stated that the country will cease accepting donations until April and that donor countries must provide vaccines with at least two-thirds of the shelf life.

Following an assessment of new available data on the efficacy of various vaccinations, including AstraZeneca's and Sinovac's, Indonesia's food and drug agency announced earlier this month that the expiry dates of several vaccines, including AstraZeneca's and Sinovac's, have been extended.

Indonesia will prioritise the distribution of vaccines that are about to expire, according to Rizka of the Indonesian Ministry of Health.

 

According to a UNICEF official, poorer countries rejected more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccinations given by COVAX in December, primarily due to a quickly approaching expiration date.

 

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Edited March 30, 2022 by ASEAN NOW Content Team