COVID-19: Indonesia to roll out mass vaccination next week, President to get first shot

Indonesia will start mass COVID-19 vaccination on January 13 and President Joko Wododo will be the first person to get the vaccine shot, said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Tuesday.

Indonesia will start mass COVID-19 vaccination on January 13 and President Joko Wododo will be the first person to get the vaccine shot, said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Tuesday. Anadolu news agency quoted Sadikin as saying that the vaccine campaign will start on January 13 and all Cabinet members and high-ranking officials will receive the jab after the president.

He further said that three groups will be prioritised in the campaign -- central and local government officials, members of health professionals' associations and religious leaders. The campaign will be divided into two phases, considering there could be side effects such as soreness and fever, Anadolu reported.

The government plans to vaccinate 181.5 million of its population within 15 months to achieve herd immunity. Anadolu news agency further reported that though three million doses of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine have reached the country, the process will only start after a go-ahead for emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration. (ANI)