Next year targeted mass vaccination, SOEs Minister estimates Govt needs US$ 4.5 billion for Covid-19 vaccine

Holding SOEs Pharmacy, PT Bio Farma (Persero) on Thursday (8/6), has started clinical trials of the Covid-19 vaccine in collaboration with a biotechnology company from China, Sinovac.

This clinical trial is scheduled to last for 6 months. In carrying out the trial, as many as 1,620 people, with a vulnerable age 18-59 will be taken as samples. Bio Farma collaborates to carry out this clinical trial at the Clinical Testing Center, namely the Faculty of Medicine, UNPAD (Padjdjaran University).

Minister of BUMN and Chief Executive of the Committee for Handling Covid-19 and National Economic Recovery (PEN) Erick Thohir targets that next year the government can vaccinate 160 million-190 million Indonesians with the Covid-19 vaccine. The Covid-19 vaccine includes vaccines from State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) and private vaccines. The funding needs for vaccination are quite large.

According to Erick, if he assumes the price of the vaccine is US$ 15/dose and each person needs two doses. Thus, the required funding could reach US$ 4.5 billion for vaccinating all Indonesian citizens.

“If the price is US$ 15 per vaccine, how much is it, assuming that 300 million times US$ 15 is already US$ 4.5 billion in funding,” said Erick, Friday, August 7.

Erick said that this number did not cover all. It does not include the need for syringes and the cost of medical personnel who will carry out the vaccination. In addition, the payment for vaccines to the patent owner, Sinovac.

The SOEs Minister confirmed that the government had discussed the budget for this vaccination, which means that the cost of the Covid-19 vaccine immunization will be fully borne by the government.

The former Inter Milan boss said the government would map out which areas the people would receive the vaccine injection first.

It is targeted that the clinical trial will be completed in January 2021. So, the coronavirus vaccine can be produced immediately in the first quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, according to Erick, actually, PT Bio Farma’s production capacity for the Covid-19 vaccine is only 100 million doses. However, because the spread of Covid-19 is increasingly widespread, he urges that additional vaccine production must be made.

Later, vaccines in circulation will not only rely on vaccines from state-owned companies, Bio Farma (Persero). But, the government also takes into account private vaccines, such as those that will be produced by PT Kalbe Farma Tbk.