Indonesian leader gets second CoronaVac shot

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received his second shot of CoronaVac, a Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccine, two weeks after getting the first jab at the State Palace and launching the country's national vaccination drive.

The drive against COVID-19 is proceeding in all 34 provinces of the country, using the vaccine - developed by biopharmaceutical company Sinovac - for priority groups of people including medical workers, public officials and community leaders.

This first stage of vaccinations are scheduled to last until April. It is part of a campaign which will finish in March of next year to inoculate 181.5 million people.

The vaccine requires two doses per person. Indonesia needs more than 400 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Wednesday's immunization at the State Palace took place a day after Indonesia's COVID-19 cases crossed the 1 million threshold and 11 months after the virus was first detected in the country.

This made Indonesia the first country in Southeast Asia to log 1 million coronavirus cases. As of Tuesday, 28,132 people had died from the pandemic in the country, according to the World Health Organization.

Epidemiologists have repeatedly called for the government to get people to observe health protocols as coronavirus cases continue to rise and more hospitals are reportedly running out of beds for patients.

Since there have been no reports of serious allergic reactions to the Sinovac vaccine so far, optimism about its effectiveness is growing among Indonesians. There are fears though that over-optimism may lead people to let down their guard.

A few minutes after getting his second shot at the State Palace yard along with other key figures, Widodo called on Indonesians to come forward for vaccinations and urged people to strictly follow health protocols.

Health protocols

"Although (you) have got vaccinated, do not forget to implement health protocols. Wear your mask, avoid crowds and reduce mobility," he said.

Siera Marista Matondang, a nurse at the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital, said on Monday: "We have got vaccinated and are not yet 100 percent confident when facing our COVID-19 patients, and so we still have to strictly practice health protocols."

The 25-year-old nurse experienced no adverse effects from the vaccine and will soon get her second shot.

"Everything is all right," said Elnu Sabri, a senior staffer at the West Sumatra office of health affair, who added they have not received any reports of side effects from the vaccine.

Ratna Djuwita, PT Bio Farma's corporate communications head, said the firm and the ministry of health are "racing against time" to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The volume, quality and the timely distribution of vaccines must be strictly ensured," Djuwita said.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.