Indonesia has received 243,440 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from the United Kingdom government as an expression of its solidarity and global cooperation on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wish to express our gratitude to the United Kingdom government for sharing a portion of their COVID-19 vaccine doses to Indonesia,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a written statement released by the Communication and Informatics Ministry here on Friday.

The current vaccine arrival is the second, as the UK government earlier had donated around 620 thousand vaccine doses for Indonesia on August 2, 2021, she informed.

Indonesia reiterates its firm support for global cooperation for handling the pandemic through the vaccine dose-sharing scheme, the foreign minister said.

She also lauded the UK government’s decision to rescind Indonesia from its COVID-19 red list, saying it is proof of global confidence in the improving pandemic situation in Indonesia.

The decision to remove Indonesia from the UK red list followed a recent meeting between the Indonesian and the UK foreign ministers during the UN General Assembly session at the end of September, Marsudi said.

The spirit of solidarity and collaboration among countries in the world is key to addressing the health crisis, she added.

With the arrival of the 86th vaccine batch, Indonesia has obtained a total of 278,527,220 vaccine doses, both in the form of finished products and bulk, she noted.

“The latest vaccine doses’ arrival further secured our vaccine stocks as the government aimed for 70 percent national vaccination coverage at the end of 2021. As of October 8, 2021, around 46.52 percent of the national population has received the first vaccine dose and 26.49 percent of the population has completed their vaccine doses,” the minister said.

Residents should continue to abide by the health protocol as the government continues to expedite the vaccination effort, she added.

Source: Antara News