Indonesia to give free COVID vaccines, President Widodo first in line
Indonesia will give free COVID-19 vaccines, President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday (Dec 16).
The decision comes after a review of the state budget. The president said he ordered the finance minister to prioritise and reallocate spending towards making the vaccine free. He will be the first to get a shot to show the vaccine is safe.
Hari ini dapat saya sampaikan bahwa vaksin Covid-19 untuk seluruh warga masyarakat adalah GRATIS. Dan saya akan menjadi yang pertama menerima vaksin.
— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) December 16, 2020
Tidak ada alasan masyarakat tidak mendapatkan atau meragukan keamanan vaksin. pic.twitter.com/BnSbbkq3Zj
Widodo has ordered the government to prioritise vaccination for the population in 2021.
Indonesia received 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac on Dec 6. The doses will be stored by Bio Farma, the state-owned biopharmaceutical company and the country’s only vaccine manufacturer. Bio Farma will also locally process the raw materials shipped by Sinovac for 45 million doses of the vaccine.
Majelis Ulama Indonesia is mulling a fatwa that will allow the national halal agency BPJPH to certify the vaccine as halal.
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