Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has encouraged ASEAN, including Indonesia, to become a hub for the production of mRNA-based vaccines.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the G20 Presidency Sherpa Meeting on December 7, Hartarto said that one of Indonesia’s priorities is consolidating the global health architecture.

He recommended countries, with a population of 100 million, to have at least one vaccine production centre.

Hartarto emphasised that problems related to vaccination must be addressed immediately since inequitable access to vaccines will give rise to new problems, such as the emergence of the new variant called Omicron.

The Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa, with a vaccination rate of only 24 percent, while the entire African continent only had a seven-percent inoculation rate.

A lingering pandemic, coupled with the emergence of the Omicron variant, would have damaging effects on the people's lives and disrupt economic recovery, he said.

To this end, Hartarto highlighted the need for collaboration at the global level, including through the G20, to make stronger and more concrete breakthrough steps for the world.

Source: VNA