Indonesia Starts Domestic Production of PCR Test Kits

“One of the venues we will use is a building that was originally planned to be used in the production of bird flu vaccines. We will fix up the building to accommodate the production of PCR test kits, which Indonesian President Jokowi has agreed to,” said Muhadjir.

Coronavirus vaccine needed

Indonesia’s Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian has stressed on the need for the country to find a coronavirus vaccine if it seeks to beat the pandemic.

Based on the Indonesian government’s calculations, it will need approximately 340 million coronavirus vaccines.

Around 170 million Indonesians will need a vaccine with each citizen requiring a minimum of two shots, said Tito.

Read also: Indonesia’s Covid-19 Cases Officially Highest in ASEAN

The home affairs minister shared an optimistic scenario as Indonesia works to discover a coronavirus vaccine.

“The scenario is we will find a coronavirus vaccine at the earliest by mid-2021, therefore, by the end of 2022 or even mid-2022, the Covid-19 virus will be past us. That’s the quickest scenario,” said Tito Karnavian.

Pharmaceutical company Kalbe Farma and South Korean company Genexine have developed a coronavirus vaccine that is currently under clinical trials.

The first clinical trial began in June in South Korea while Indonesia will be included for the second phase of the trials in August 2020. 

(Writer: Rakhmat Nur Hakim | Editor: Icha Rastika) 

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/06/22/17152711/indonesia-mulai-produksi-perlengkapan-tes-pcr-mandiri