Indonesia is preparing to vaccinate up to 180 million people against COVID-19 in 15 months

Indonesia will begin its ambitious plan to vaccinate up to 180 million people within a year today, despite clinical trials suggesting the Chinese-made vaccine may only be 60 per cent effective against COVID-19.

On Monday, Indonesia became the first country outside of China to approve the CoronaVac vaccine, which was developed by Sinovac Biotech in Beijing, after its food and drug authority BPOM gave the greenlight for its emergency use.

President Joko Widodo will receive the first dose, a decision designed to instil confidence ahead of the mass vaccination rollout.

An initial 3 million doses of CoronaVac arrived in Indonesia in December, though only 1.2 million doses have been distributed so far across the country.

Indonesia has signed…