Indonesia has applied for an emergency permit to start a mass vaccination campaign earlier this year to fight the Covid-19 coronavirus in the country, said President Joko Widodo, as reported by Berita Harian.
If approved by the Indonesian food and medical agency, the country’s 270 million people will be among the first in the world to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Indonesia, so far, has found it difficult to curb the virus for months. However, the rise in infection rates in the country has been flat in recent weeks, according to official figures.
The country has the largest number of Covid-19 patients in Southeast Asia with 15,000 deaths and 450,000 infections reported. Mr Jokowi said ensuring vaccine safety was a priority, adding that health workers, police and military officers would be the first to receive the vaccine when the campaign begins.
Also read: MOH: Malaysia Expects to Get Covid-19 Vaccine In The First Quarter of 2021