Indonesia Highlights: Countries Struggle to Get Covid-19 Vaccine Supply, Says Indonesian Minister | Indonesian Coast Guard Warns Greek-Flagged Tanker for Loitering in Maluku Waters | Indonesia’s Villa

KOMPAS.com - Indonesia is one of the countries that are in a race to get the Covid-19 vaccine as the supplies are incredibly scarce amid an increasing coronavirus caseload.

However, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the government has been working closely with four vaccine producers to ensure there will be sufficient supply for the covid-19 vaccine in the country.

The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) patrol ship KN Singa Laut-402 has issued a warning to the Greek-flagged tanker following loitering activities in Maluku waters on Friday, April 16.

Below are excerpts from the stories in Indonesia, curated by Kompas.com editors:

Countries Struggle to Get Covid-19 Vaccine Supply, Says Indonesian Minister

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that Indonesia is one of the countries that are in a race to get the Covid-19 vaccine as the supplies are incredibly scarce amid the increasing coronavirus caseload.

“We know that all countries are in a race [to get the Covid-19 vaccine] as the struggle for vaccines is getting tighter,” Budi said in a virtual discussion on Sunday, April 18.

Budi said that the daily caseload in India - the world’s biggest vaccine producer - is increasing. Therefore, its government decided to embargo the Covid-19 vaccine as they prioritize their citizens given the high rate of virus transmission.

Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom conduct vaccine export restrictions.
“This causes other countries outside India, especially the producers of the raw materials used by the Indian vaccine producers, to implement countermeasure. So, it has become complicated,” Budi said.

But, he is grateful for sufficient supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia because since the beginning the government has developed cooperation with four vaccine producers such as Sinovac from China, AstraZeneca from the UK, Novavax from the US and Canada, and BioNTech-Pfizer from Germany.

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/18/15271421/menkes-vaksin-covid-19-jadi-rebutan-seluruh-negara-makin-lama-kian-keras.