Indonesia seeks to counter the pandemic with vaccines. Now, as the coronavirus spreads across its vast archipelago, pressure is building to get them to 270 million people living on 17,000 islands.
The government has orders with at least four vaccine suppliers, including Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and AstraZeneca PLC, whose shots are in late-stage trials. That access ranks Indonesia second in Asia after China and on par with Japan and India for securing much-anticipated immunizations, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Few countries are relying more fervently on COVID-19 vaccines to blunt the pandemic than Indonesia. The world’s fourth most populous nation has rejected strict lockdown measures in favor of physical distancing guidelines that vary from province to province — a situation reminiscent of the U.S., which is suffering the worst coronavirus crisis.