The shortage in vaccine supply has been exacerbated by the recent decision of India, which produces the AstraZeneca vaccine for the Gavi/WHO-backed global COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, has halted exports, including 10 million doses to Indonesia, following a spike in infection cases in the country.

Delay in the shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines has impacted on the mass vaccination program, which currently is targeting elderly people and teachers. Spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said the supplies of the vaccine were expected to return to normal in May..

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has insisted that 181.5 million of the country’s population of over 275 million will be vaccinated by the end of the year to help Indonesia achieve herd immunity.

Indonesia relies much on China, one of a few COVID-19 vaccine-producing countries, which has so far shipped more than 56 million doses in the forms of ready-to-use doses and bulk to be produced by state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma.

There is no guarantee that all the vaccines the government has ordered, which reportedly amount to 600 million doses, will arrive on schedule as in the case of AstraZeneca vaccine from India. Producing countries will logically prioritize their own citizens.

With vaccine supplies prone to disruptions, the government has incentivized production of local vaccines, under the Merah Putih (Red and White) program. So far there are six local vaccine candidates, two of them, which will be produced by Eijkman Institute and Airlangga University, are expected to be ready for use this year, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

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