Indonesian President Joko Widodo received an injection of a Chinese vaccine on live television on Wednesday as health officials prepared for a nationwide launch.
Human trials in Indonesia found that the vaccine, CoronaVac, was safe and had an efficacy rate of 65.3 percent. But scientists in Brazil said on Tuesday that they have an efficiency rate of just over 50 percent – much lower than the efficiency rate of 78 percent announced last week.
Mr. Joko was the first in Indonesia to receive the vaccine, health officials said, as he wanted to reassure the public that it was safe, effective and halal, meaning that it was approved under Islamic law.
When he received his injection, behind him was a red sign with white letters on which the vaccine was ‘safe and halal’.
“Covid vaccination is important for us to break the transmission chain of this coronavirus and provide health protection for all of us, the people of Indonesia, and to speed up the economic recovery process,” he said. Joko said after getting his chance.
Indonesia, which on Monday approved the emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine, had earlier ordered 125.5 million doses from the company and smaller quantities from several others. Indonesia, the fourth largest country in the world with 270 million people, hopes to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating two-thirds of the population within 15 months.
But there are still questions surrounding the Sinovac vaccine, which China began administering last year before human trials were completed.
The company has yet to release information publicly about the results of its trials. And the efficacy rate of the vaccine, as measured in Brazil and Indonesia, is still well below the 90 percent percentages achieved by the Pfizer and Modern vaccines approved in the United States and other countries.
Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said the relatively low efficiency rate for CoronaVac should encourage Indonesia to look for alternatives. He also questions the transparency of the various trials and the data released.
“At least Indonesia has one vaccine as a tool to protect health workers and prevent staff shortages,” he said. “Of course the government has to do its best to get other vaccines.”
Indonesia plans to give the vaccine first to medical staff, police officers and soldiers. It has also launched a national promotional campaign to persuade members of the public to get the vaccine for free.
Following Mr. Joko to be vaccinated in front of the cameras was the army chief, the national police chief and the newly appointed health minister, along with other dignitaries and so-called influencers.
Indonesia reported nearly 850,000 cases of coronavirus and nearly 25,000 deaths, the highest score in Southeast Asia in both categories.