The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 450 million USD loan to Indonesia to help Bio Farma, a state-owned vaccine supplier, procure and deliver safe and effective vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The RECOVER project will fund the purchase of at least 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo: ADB)

The Responsive COVID-19 Vaccines for Recovery (RECOVER) project will fund the purchase of at least 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for priority groups determined by the Indonesian government.

The project is supported by ADB’s 9 billion USD Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX), which was launched in December 2020 to offer rapid and equitable vaccine-related support to ADB developing members.

For a vaccine to be eligible for APVAX financing, it must meet one of three criteria. It must be procured via the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX), prequalified by the World Health Organization, or authorised by a Stringent Regulatory Authority.

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on Indonesians, with 30 million experiencing job losses or reduced work hours.

The RECOVER project will help the government protect lives and restore livelihoods, as well as immunize millions of socially and economically vulnerable people at high risk of transmission as well as public service officers providing critical services.

ADB will also help the government and Bio Farma improve logistics management and deliver vaccines more effectively.

The Indonesian government aims to vaccinate 181.5 million people against COVID-19 in one of the world’s biggest vaccination campaigns. Indonesia recorded more than 1.5 million COVID-19 cases and 40,000 deaths as of March 30.

Source: VNA