Indonesia says arrival of 30 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses delayed to 2022

JAKARTA: Indonesia's health minister said on Thursday (Apr 8) that the country would receive 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine via a bilateral deal in 2021, instead of the 50 million doses that had been initially agreed.

The remaining 30 million doses will be shipped in 2022, minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a parliamentary hearing.

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Indonesia is also slated to receive 54 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in phases via the COVAX global-vaccine alliance scheme, though Budi said Indian export restrictions would delay shipments in April.

Indonesia’s health minister on Monday called for the country’s vaccination programme to be readjusted and prioritised for the elderly, amid a shortfall of vaccines due to export curbs of AstraZeneca's shot.

With about 1.54 million cases and 41,900 deaths so far, Indonesia has the highest caseload in Southeast Asia and one of the worst epidemics in Asia.

Its vaccination programme aims to inoculate 181 million people and is relying heavily on a vaccine developed by China's Sinovac due to shipment delays of AstraZeneca's vaccine.

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