Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology in Jakarta has planned to hand out its Merah Putih vaccine seeds to state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma at the end of March.
"The first batch of vaccine seeds will be handed out at the end of March 2021," Head of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Amin Soebandrio, told ANTARA here on Monday.
PT Bio Farma is partnering with Eijkman to hold trials and produce the Merah Putih COVID-19 vaccine, developed with a recombinant protein subunit platform.
The vaccine seeds could be delivered according to schedule, Soebandrio remarked, adding that the recombinant protein was available and in the process of transition from the laboratory to the industry.
The vaccine seeds are subject to preclinical tests as well as the phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials before being allowed for use, he noted.
Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019.
Since then, COVID-19 has gripped over 215 countries and territories, including 34 provinces of Indonesia, with a huge rise in death toll.
To safeguard Indonesians from the lethal virus, the Indonesian government has secured COVID-19 vaccine doses through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms.
Indonesia, for instance, approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, but it is also leaving no stone unturned to develop its own vaccine to fight the virus.
Indonesian scientists are currently working on the vaccine named after the country's national flag, Merah Putih (Red and White).
In winning the fight against the coronavirus disease, Indonesia has launched a national vaccination program since January 13, 2021.
President Joko Widodo became the first recipient of the Sinovac vaccine jab.
The Health Ministry has projected the vaccination of some 181.5 million people under the vaccination program to take 15 months.
Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate has surpassed one million cases since January 26, 2021.
To attain herd immunity and free the nation from the clutches of the pandemic, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has attached due weightage to successfully administering the COVID-19 vaccine to the targeted population.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has siphoned the nation into grave public health and economic crises.
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EDITED BY INE
