Jokowi: Indonesia’s Covid-19 Vaccine Showcases Country’s Innovative Skills

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo praised the country for getting innovative during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jokowi explained how the country is making a significant push in bringing innovation to the healthcare sector as evidenced by Indonesia’s Covid-19 vaccine and a Covid detection device developed by Indonesians.

“Indonesia has made it clear that it will not be left behind thus has strived to deliver innovation in the healthcare sector. One of it is Indonesia’s Covid-19 vaccine which continues to be developed to support the mitigation of the virus in the country.”

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“Another example is GeNose, a device that can detect the Covid-19 virus easily and quickly with one blow from the mouth.”

In a video released on the Indonesian President’s Instagram page, Jokowi shared how the scientific community is hard at work trying to find a drug and effective therapy that can cure Covid-19 patients.

The president hopes that all the work and effort put in to mitigate the pandemic at home can be mass-produced and developed into innovations that can bring in investments.

“I hope that these works will go beyond prototypes and can be mass-produced or even encourage commercial investments.”

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Should the Indonesian President’s hope come to fruition then the innovations will serve as a solution to problems in the society as well as offering added value to the national economy.

Jokowi emphasized how competition has run high over the past couple of months among countries around the world as they all compete to be the foremost, the fastest, and the best in the field of innovation.

For the president, Indonesia’s Covid-19 vaccine and Covid detection app are proof of the country’s self-sufficiency.

“All of this has proven that our country does not have a shortage of superior talents who are ready to contribute to the independence and excellence of the nation.”

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The country’s Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto explained that Indonesia’s Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be ready by 2022.

Until that happens, the Indonesian government has partnered with China and the United Kingdom to obtain a Covid-19 vaccine candidate namely China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm, and the UK’s AstraZeneca.

“While we wait for Indonesia’s Covid-19 vaccine to be ready in early 2022, we will take advantage of our existing cooperation with China and the UK,” stated Terawan on Oct. 15.

“Because of the double shots required with the vaccine, we have to decide on who will be prioritized in receiving the inoculation. We will first prioritize medical workers who are at the frontline in the fight against the pandemic,” Terawan concluded.

(Writer: Fitria Chusna Farisa | Editor: Bayu Galih)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/11/11/10193001/jokowi-harap-vaksin-merah-putih-hingga-genose-bisa-diproduksi-massal-dan?page=all#page2