Vaccine Diplomacy amid the Pandemic
For more than 11 months, the world has been struggling against the coronavirus pandemic. Cases of Covid-19 throughout the world have surpassed the 86 million mark and fatalities totaled over 1.8 million.
President Joko Widodo gave directions at a limited meeting to discuss the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and plans to implement vaccinations at the State Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (6/1/2021).
For more than 11 months, the world has been struggling against the coronavirus pandemic. Cases of Covid-19 throughout the world have surpassed the 86 million mark and fatalities totaled over 1.8 million.
The global transmission of the coronavirus has not yet abated. Several countries are just getting struck by the second or third wave of the pandemic, while 33 nations are even facing a new variant of the coronavirus.
Also read: Vaccination Won’t Ignore Health Standards
The presence of vaccines has sparked some hope and at the same time a turning point in health and economic recovery. The development of Covid-19 vaccines is being massively undertaken. Until the end of 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 60 candidate vaccines at the clinical trial stage and 172 others at the preclinical trial stage.
Vaccines and the world
The process of vaccine development is seen as fairly rapid. Several vaccines have even secured emergency use authorization (EUA) and vaccination in some countries has begun.
There are several important matters to be given attention in connection with vaccines and vaccination. First, vaccines have to be unequivocally safe and effective. The safety, efficacy and quality of vaccines are nonnegotiable. The WHO has provided guidelines regarding the emergency situation being faced by the world, one of which concerns the rate of efficacy. Pursuant to the WHO Target Product Profiles for Covid-19 Vaccines April 2020, in the pandemic and emergency period, the criterion of vaccine efficacy is minimally 50 percent.
Also read: Measuring the Efficacy of the Covid-19 Vaccines
The safety, efficacy and quality of vaccines always receive the attention of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. On different occasions the President has always emphasized the importance of cautiousness and observance of scientific data. The health and safety of the population should become main priority.
Second, serious efforts should be made to increase public confidence in vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy is not a new phenomenon. Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has indicated that the rate of confidence in vaccines in 149 countries was declining in the period of 2015-2019.
Especially for Covid-19 vaccines, according to a survey by the World Economic Forum in October 2020 in 15 countries, the respondents ready for inoculation only constituted 73 percent, down by 4 percent from August 2020. It was among others due to the fear of side effects.
Vaccination hesitancy has also affected Indonesia. Based on a survey by Kompas in December 2020, although 64.3 percent of respondents were enthusiastic about the presence of Covid-19 vaccines, only 55.4 percent were willing to be inoculated. The lack of trust in vaccines has also been provoked by the anti-vaccine campaign via social media being launched quite intensively on a global scale. This is further worsened by the impact of politicization of the Covid-19 issue as part of the rivalry between major powers.
Also read: Is the Vaccine Shortcut Safe?
For this reason, persistent attempts should be made to raise public confidence in vaccines. The benefits of vaccines that outweigh their risks should be given consideration. The United Nations Secretary General describes the preparedness for vaccination as the moral obligation of society.
Third, it’s important to ensure even, safe and affordable access to vaccines by all countries. The virus knows no borders between states. If the world wants to be speedily free from the pandemic, the solution should also be border-crossing in nature, through strong international cooperation.
A box of AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine vials are pictured at the Pontcae Medical Practice in Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales on January 4, 2021. - Britain on Monday began rolling out the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, a possible game-changer in fighting the disease worldwide.
It’s in this context that Indonesia consistently continues to voice the importance of cooperation in the control of Covid-19. At the initiative of Indonesia along with Ghana, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland, the United Nations General Assembly session endorsed its first resolution related to Covid-19 on 2 April 2020, the Global Solidarity to Fight Covid-19. Safeguarding vaccines for the peoples of the respective countries is very important. But if this is overdone, let alone amid vaccine supply scarcity, it will automatically harm the interests of other countries, especially developing and least developing ones.
According to the WHO Director General, when vaccines are still limited, inoculating a number of people in all countries will be more effective than inoculating all people in several countries.
Also read: Anticipating Covid-19 Vaccine
Bloomberg data show that several advanced countries have secured vaccine orders in quantities bigger than their own populations, some even twice to three times as big. In fact, many nations can still manage to place vaccine orders only for 5 percent of their populations. RAND Corporation maintains that uneven vaccine distribution will not only prolong the pandemic, but it will also erode the global economy by US$ 1.2 trillion annually.
Various attempts have been made to guarantee more even supply of vaccines, including that through the COVAX Facility. For countries that cannot afford to buy, COVAX is the only way to obtain vaccines. The target to be achieved is the distribution of 2 billion vaccine doses until the end of 2021. The challenge is the need for huge funding, totaling around US$6.8 billion in 2021.
Indonesia’s vaccine diplomacy
Diplomacy is a means to strive for the fulfillment of national interests. During the pandemic, diplomacy should work and make a contribution, including the guarantee for sufficient supply of vaccines needed by the Indonesian population.
In performing “vaccine diplomacy”, several principles upheld by Indonesia are as the following. First, struggling for vaccines as global public goods. Since the outset of the pandemic, Indonesia has appealed that all nations should have even access to safe vaccines at affordable prices. Once again, the world will not fully recover if some countries do not yet succeed in defeating Covid-19. President Jokowi himself actively raised this issue at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, G-20 Summit and the Unites Nations General Assembly session.
Also read: Problems Related to Covid-19 Vaccines
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Jambi Regional Police are on guard at the location of the Covid-19 vaccine distribution upon arrival in Jambi City, Monday (4/1/2021) afternoon. A total of 20,000 doses of vaccine will be distributed to health workers in Jambi.
Second, synchronizing national interests with the responsibility for Indonesia’s contribution to the world. This was done by signing a cooperation agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and becoming a member of the CEPI Investor Council. Through this cooperation, our pharmaceutical industry will gain access to latest information and technology related to vaccine development, and at the same time have the opportunity to become a vaccine developer for all. With Bio Farma securing CEPI’s positive due diligence last year, Indonesia is prepared to serve as the world’s vaccine manufacturing basis.
Third, maintaining a free and active foreign policy. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Indonesia has conducted communications with various countries to deal with vaccine affairs, through bilateral as well as multilateral channels.
Also read: Vaccines as Public Goods
Along with the State-Owned Enterprises Minister and a team of the Health Ministry, I directly approached the United Arab Emirates, China, Britain and Switzerland. Communications with a number of developers from the US were also made.
From the fairly long process, Indonesia could order vaccines in significant quantities for the population. By the end of 2020, three million finished vaccine doses from Sinovac arrived in Indonesia. Indonesia has also secured a total commitment of 100 million doses of vaccine supply from AstraZeneca and Novavax. Talks with Pfizer are on-going. Within a short time, Bio Farma will start its process of Sinovac vaccine manufacturing.
Retno LP Marsudi
Communications with the WHO, GAVI, UNICEF and others to safeguard multilateral vaccine supply are also in progress every day. As an advance market commitment (AMC) country, Indonesia’s diplomacy is working for the allocation of vaccines for 3-20 percent of the Indonesian population. The year 2020 has passed. The management of the pandemic and its socio-economic impact will continue to dominate domestic affairs and international relations. What we can do to make 2021 a better year for all of us is to maintain unity, strengthen solidarity and tighten cooperation. Bismillah, may Allah bless our endeavors.
Retno LP Marsudi, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This article was translated by Aris Prawira.
