1.1 Million Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine in Indonesia Will Expire by End of May

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin claimed that he had just learned the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will expire by the end of May 2021.

Indonesia received 1.1 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine from the global vaccine procurement program COVAX on March 8. 

On Monday, March 15, Budi told the House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health care and manpower that the government has decided to delay the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country following reports of the formation of blood clots in some people who received the vaccines.

The move came after several European countries suspended AstraZeneca's Covid-19 shots over safety concerns despite pharmaceutical companies have yet confirmed whether the blood clots have a connection with the vaccines or not.  

"The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) is delaying the implementation of AstraZeneca while waiting for confirmation from the WHO [World Health Organization]. Hopefully, the results will be released soon as the AstraZeneca vaccine will be expired at the end of May," said Budi on Monday.

DOK BNPB

ANTARA FOTO/MUHAMMAD IQBAL First shipment of more than a million doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine arrived Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang near Jakarta on Monday, March 8.

ANTARA FOTO/NOVRIAN ARBI Employees unload an envirotainer containing AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine upon arrival at Bio Farma, Bandung, West Java, Monday, March 8, 2021.

ANTARA FOTO/NOVRIAN ARBI Employees unload an envirotainer containing AstraZeneca?s COVID-19 vaccine upon arrival at Bio Farma, Bandung, West Java, Monday, March 8, 2021.

(Writer: Haryanti Puspa Sari | Editor: Dani Prabowo)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/03/15/19352881/menkes-baru-tahu-vaksin-astrazeneca-kedaluwarsa-akhir-mei-2021?page=all#page2.