Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) inspects the COVID-19 vaccine trials and production facilities when he visits a state-owned pharmaceutical company at Bandung, in West Java, Indonesia, on Aug. 11, 2020. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has expressed his hope that the third phase of the clinical test on anti-coronavirus vaccine would be completed within six months. The vaccine candidate is currently developed by China-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech in partnership with Indonesia's state-owned pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma. (Indonesian Presidential Palace/Handout via Xinhua)
JAKARTA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has expressed his hope that the third phase of the clinical test on anti-coronavirus vaccine would be completed within six months.
The vaccine candidate is currently developed by China-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech in partnership with Indonesia's state-owned pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma.
On Tuesday, President Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, visited the hospital of Padjajaran University's School of Medicine in West Java, where the test is taking place.
On the occasion, Jokowi was observing in-person the trial which was participated in by 1,620 volunteer patients.
"We hope that by January 2021, we will start producing (the vaccine). Also, after the production has been completed, the vaccines would immediately be given to the public in the country," said Jokowi.
He said that Bio Farma is ready to produce up to 250 million vaccines per year.
As of Tuesday, according to the Health Ministry, Indonesia, Southeast Asia's most populous country, has recorded 127,083 cases with 5,765 people having died of the virus.
