Indonesian President Joko Widodo has received his first dose of the China-made vaccine ‘Sinovac’ in a televised event on Wednesday.
Widodo is the first person to be vaccinated in the country, launching Indonesia’s massive immunization program.
Also present in the national live event were members of Widodo’s Cabinet who will also be vaccinated against the virus.
“I was asked: Have you ever been confirmed positive for Covid-19, have you had a cough or cold, have heart disease, or other diseases such as kidney problems? Etc. All I said was no. At 9.42 WIB, I started a big effort to be free from the pandemic by receiving the Covid-19 vaccine,” Widodo said in a tweet.
On Monday, Indonesia gave the Sinovac vaccine its first emergency use approval outside China.
In a report on Channel News Asia, preliminary data showed that the vaccine has 65.3 percent efficacy based on the clinical trials conducted in Indonesia.
The vaccine works by using killed viral particles to expose the body’s immune system to the virus. It requires two doses to be effective.
With Widodo receiving the jab, the vaccination programme in Indonesia has officially kicked off. (TDT)
