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US Ships Moderna Vaccine to Indonesia Amid COVID-19 Surge

Patsy Widakuswara

   WHITE HOUSE - As Indonesia deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases, the
   Biden administration is sending three million dosesof the Moderna
   coronavirus vaccine to the country on July 9, a senior administration
   official tells VOA.

   The shipment is one ofthelargest batchesthe U.S. hasdonated, the
   official said. In total, the U.S. has allocatedfourmillion doses for
   Indonesia, with the remainingonemillion doses to be shipped "soon."

   The administration is also sending 500,000 doses of the Johnson &
   Johnson vaccine to Moldova, the first batch of U.S. vaccine shared with
   Europe.
   A woman receives a shot of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during a mass
   vaccination at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia,
   June 26, 2021.

   Indonesia surge

   Indonesia isbattling a record-breaking surge in new cases and deaths,
   due to the highly contagiousdelta variant.

   "We recognize the difficult situation Indonesia currently finds itself
   in with a surge of COVID-19 cases," said the Biden administration
   official. "Our thoughts are with all those in Indonesia affected by
   this surge. We support the Indonesian people as they fight thissurge
   andare doingeverythingwe can to help them in this time of need."

   During a Friday press conference, IndonesianMinister for Foreign
   AffairsRetnoMarsudiconfirmed the shipment.

   "This is the first shipment through the COVAX mechanism,"Marsudisaid,
   referring tothe United Nationsvaccine sharing mechanism.

   Indonesia relies heavily on Chinese vaccines, with only about 5% of its
   population fully vaccinated. The country has procured 108.5 million
   doses of the Sinovac vaccine but is seeing rising infections among
   medical workers fully vaccinated with it.

   After several fully inoculated medical personneldied from COVID-19,
   Health Minister Budi GunadiSadikinsaidon Fridaythe government would
   give 1.47 million health workers an extrashotusing the Moderna vaccine.

   "The third jab will only be given to health workers, because health
   workers are the ones who are exposed to high levels of virus every
   day," he told a press conference. "They must be protected at all
   costs."

   The Indonesian government authorized the Moderna vaccine for emergency
   use last week.
   People line up to get vaccinated with the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine
   during a mass vaccination at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta,
   Indonesia, June 26, 2021.

   Broader COVID-19 response efforts

   The senior White House official said that in addition to vaccines, the
   administration is moving forward on plans to increase assistance for
   Indonesia's broader COVID-19 response efforts.

   "To date, we have provided more than $14.5 million in direct COVID-19
   relief to Indonesia, including $3.5 million to help vaccinate
   Indonesians quickly and safely," the official said.

   The officialaddedthat support fromthe U.S.Agency for International
   Development,USAID,has also provided Jakarta with publichealth
   education, trained thousands of health workers, funded a national
   COVID-19 information website that has reached more than 36 million
   people, and donated COVID-19 testing equipment, 1,000 ventilators, and
   nearly 2,000 handwashing stations.

   Thefour-million-dosevaccineshipmentto Indonesia is part of the 80
   million doses the U.S. has allocated to help countries in need, on top
   of the 500 million doses it has committedtoCOVAX.

   Activists say it is not enough.

   "We need far more from the United States and other countries that have
   surpluses to share," said Tom Hart, acting CEO of the [1]ONE Campaign,
   a nonprofit group that fights global poverty and disease.

   According to [2]CDC data,mostU.S. states have administered at least 75
   percent of their first vaccine dose.

   Hart pointed out that in some countries, less than one percent of
   people have receiveda COVID-19vaccine.

   "We have locked up in the United States and the G-7 and other EU
   countries, the global supply of the very thing to end this pandemic,"
   said Hart. "And so far, not sharing at nearly the pace or scale that we
   need to reach what's the global herd immunity that will make all of us
   safe."

   EvaMazrievacontributed to this report, which includes some information
   fromAgenceFrance-Presse and Reuters.

References

   1. https://www.one.org/us/
   2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/distributing/first-doses.html

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