New batch of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines in bulk arrives in Indonesia

JAKARTA -- Another batch of COVID-19 vaccines in bulk produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac has arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten province, Indonesia, the country's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday.

The Sinovac vaccines in bulk will later be processed by PT Bio Farma, Indonesia's state-owned pharmaceutical company, into ready-to-use vaccines.

The Indonesian government aims to accelerate the vaccination process to reach herd immunity and meet the target of two million COVID-19 vaccine injections per day in August, Budi added.

"The vaccination program, in addition to implementing health protocol disciplines and complying with government policies such as PPKM (community activity restrictions), will help to reduce the rate of transmission quickly and to control the pandemic," said Sadikin.