Despite having rolled out a nationwide vaccination campaign, we currently hold the unenviable designation of being one of the five countries – the others being Brazil, Argentina, India and Colombia – with the highest daily new cases and death toll, as well as being the epicenter of the pandemic in Southeast Asia. We have to learn quickly and act decisively.

Singapore’s COVID-19 multi-ministry task force has outlined what we believe are non-negotiable areas for a nation to confidently exit the pandemic: vaccines, testing, treatment and social responsibility. We believe adding a fifth in the form of collaboration and partnerships will be helpful in accelerating Indonesia’s recovery.

If this multi-prong approach is not already challenging enough for a country of 17,508 islands with an East-West span of 5,100 kilometers and which also happens to be the world’s fourth-most-populous nation, we also have to simultaneously address the immediate challenges while laying new foundations to strengthen our systemic resilience.

These five areas are interdependent and interconnected, as a deficiency in one can affect the others.

First, vaccines play a life-saving role. We have seen for ourselves how countries with higher vaccination rates have lower hospitalization and mortality rates. With vaccines, the mortal threat of the virus will be significantly blunted.

In addition to having sufficient supply and overcoming logistical barriers, the success of the national vaccination drive depends largely on broader public-private collaboration and an increased awareness and scientific literacy among the population.

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