Indonesia Highlights: Indonesia Issues Emergency Use Authorization to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine | Over 40 Kg of Crystal Meth in Indonesia-Malaysia Border Seized | Ministry of Tourism and Creative

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency [BPOM] continues to stockpile Covid-19 vaccines to reach its goal of vaccinating more than 180 million people to gain herd immunity against Covid-19.

An Indonesian army patrol guarding the Indonesian-Malaysian border in West Kalimantan province’s Sambas regency has found more than 42.9 kilograms of crystal meth in various parts of the border.

And the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has allowed live sports, musical and cultural events to be held, if all parties complied to health protocols. Read on to get more of these news on Indonesia Highlights, which was compiled by our editors:

flickr AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Indonesia Issues Emergency Use Authorization to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine

Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has given the green light for the Covid-19 vaccine produced by UK pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca.

“BPOM has granted emergency use authorization [EUA] to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine on February 22 under the EUA number 2158100143A1,” BPOM head Penny Lukito told a press conference which was held virtually on Tuesday, March 9.

Penny added that the application for the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine was done multilaterally and registered directly by AstraZeneca Indonesia.

"[The EUA] was registered through the bilateral production line of AstraZeneca in Europe and Siam Bioscience in Thailand," she asserted. BPOM had evaluated with the National Committee for Drug Evaluation and other relevant parties, before granting the emergency use permit.

“BPOM had estimated the efficacy of the vaccine was 62.1 percent.”

Indonesia received the first shipment of more than a million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, March 8. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said it was the first batch of vaccines that Indonesia received through the multilateral channel.

During the first phase, which runs until May, Indonesia will receive a total of 11,748,000 ready-to-use vaccines.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/03/09/230600674/indonesia-issues-emergency-use-authorization-to-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine. 

dok Satgas Pamtas Indonesian Border Security Task Force secure two cardboard boxes containing 40 packages of crystal methamphetamine while patrolling the Indonesia-Malaysia border and illegal routes in Aruk Hamlet, Sebunga Village, Sajingan Besar District, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan.

Over 40 Kg of Crystal Meth in Indonesia-Malaysia Border Seized

Indonesia's Border Security Task Force [Satgas Pamtas] has seized two cardboard boxes containing 40 packages of crystal methamphetamine weighing 42.9 kilograms during a patrol in Sambas regency, West Kalimantan near the Indonesia-Malaysia border.