Indonesia to administer 50 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses in seven weeks
Indonesia is planning to administer 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in seven weeks while the Philippines has decided to spend 899 million USD on booster shots.
A woman gets inoculated against COVID-19 in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 17 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Jakarta (VNA) –Indonesia is planning to administer 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine inseven weeks while the Philippines has decided to spend 899 million USD onbooster shots.
The Indonesian Government’sspokeswoman for COVID-19, Reisa Broto Asmoro,told a virtual press meeting on August 18 that the country’s vaccinationprogramme aims to inject 50 million vaccine doses in seven weeks, starting lateAugust.
She said this target is completely achievable sinceIndonesia is owning more than 190 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and theGovernment has committed to administering about 425 million doses to 208.2 millionpeople aged 12 and above.
Indonesia has licensed the use of the COVID-19vaccines of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax. For the GotongRoyong vaccination programme, funded mainly by the private sector, only thevaccine of Sinopharm has been authorised.
As of August 18, more than55.19 million people in the country received the first jabs,equivalent to 26.5 percent of the Government’s target, and over 29.4 million gotfully vaccinated with two shots, 14.12 percent, according to the Indonesian Ministryof Health.
In the Philippines, this country is allotting 45.3 billion pesos (899 million USD) under its 2022 budget for COVID-19booster shots, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.
The move is made even as health authorities have yet to concludethere is a need for a third dose. It is unclear how many doses of vaccine thebudget can cover.
The Philippines has approved the emergency use of eight brands,including those of Pfizer and Moderna.
It has fully vaccinated nearly 13 million people, or 11.7percent of the total population of 110 million./.
Vaccination centres across the Philippine capital Manila are trying to speed up inoculation rates, including by staying open 24 hours, to help deal with a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
Philippine Government spokesman Harry Roque announced that the country will extend the entry ban on all visitors from India and nine other countries until the end of August due to concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Indonesian government pledged to secure supplies and stablise prices of eight COVID-19 treatment drugs, President Joko Widodo said in an address at the parliamentary on August 16.
Southeast Asian countries need more help in securing COVID-19 vaccines, as the region is struggling to contain record infections and deaths driven by the Delta variant, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has said.
Indonesia will soon start human clinical trials of its home-grown COVID-19 vaccine Merah Putih, according to the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).
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Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
A woman gets inoculated against COVID-19 in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 17 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
