Indonesia greenlights use of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine; total cases now stands above 1.455 million

Young girls practice ballet dance in a class wearing protective face masks as protocols and precautions to avoid the Covid-19 coronavirus infection at the Namarina ballet school in Jakarta on March 19, 2021. - AFP

JAKARTA, March 20 (dpa): Indonesia can start using 1.1 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, after its distribution in the country was delayed because of concerns about blood clot cases in Europe, the country's drug agency has announced.

"The benefits of giving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the risk, so that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine can be used," the Food and Drug Control Agency said on its website.