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Indonesia reiterates call for COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver after US push
Indonesia has reiterated call to waive patents on COVID-19 vaccines following US’ support for such a move, but questions linger on whether it would help countries in urgent need of vaccines.
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A police officer stands guard near a shipping container containing COVID-19 vaccines produced by AstraZeneca at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Saturday. Indonesia received 1.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX facility, a multilateral effort that aims for equal global access to vaccines. (Antara/Fauzan)
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ndonesia has reiterated its call to waive patents on COVID-19 vaccines following the United States’ expression of support for such a move, but questions linger as to whether the measure would immediately help countries in urgent need of vaccines.
Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said the country had consistently promoted equal access to vaccines.
“We also support the waiver of patents for COVID-19 vaccines to boost global production capacity. This is one form of global collaboration to pave the way for equal access to vaccines for all,” Retno said after witnessing the arrival of more AstraZeneca vaccines at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Saturday.
Indonesia received 1.3 million doses of ready-to-administer AstraZeneca vaccines under the COVAX facility, a multilateral effort seeking to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccination. The scheme is led by the World Health Organization, the GAVI vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
Saturday’s shipment was the third batch of vaccines delivered under the multilateral scheme. In total, the country has received 6.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the multilateral platform.
Read also: Covax signs deal for 500 million Moderna Covida vaccine doses
Retno conveyed the statement after US top trade envoy Katherine Tai said on Wednesday that her country would support waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines “in service of ending this pandemic.”
