Indonesia Plans to Vaccinate 181.5 Million People by March 2022

A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask walks past an advertisement for coronavirus tests in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. The first batch of Covid-19 vaccine ordered from Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd. has arrived in Jakarta Sunday and transported to Indonesias state-owned company PT Bio Farma in Bandung. , Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg

Grace Sihombing, Bloomberg News

Jan 3, 2021

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(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia is planning to start vaccinating its population against Covid-19 this month and is seeking to deliver shots to 181.5 million people by March 2022, according to the Ministry of Health.

The initial phase of inoculations will target 1.3 million health workers and 17.4 million public employees nationwide during the first quarter of 2021, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the ministry’s vaccination spokeswoman, said at a briefing on Sunday.

See also: Indonesia to Offer Free Vaccines, With Jokowi First in Line

The health ministry is seeking to begin vaccinations no later than the third week of January following official approval from the food and drug regulator, Tarmizi said. Indonesia received its first batch of Covid-19 vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. last month and Kompas newspaper reported shots started being distributed on Sunday.

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