JAKARTA: Indonesia on Tuesday launched human trials of a Chinese-made coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine with some 1,600 volunteers slated to take part in the six-month study. Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, has been struggling to contain its mounting virus cases, with more than 127,000 confirmed infections and over 5,700 deaths. The governor of Indonesia’s most populous province, West Java, was among 1,620 volunteers slated to take part in clinical testing, which was set to wrap up in February. On Tuesday, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo toured a factory in Bandung city, operated by state-owned pharmaceutical firm Bio Farma, where production would begin. “Once again I want to highlight that the Covid-19 threat will not end until all people in Indonesia are vaccinated,” Widodo said ahead of the tour.

Source: Manila Times August 11, 2020 08:26 UTC