Uncertainty looms over Indonesia's plan to use local vaccines as Covid booster shots

A health worker administers a Covid-19 booster vaccine in Blok M, South Jakarta, on Aug 14. Over 58.8 million people of Indonesia's 234.6 million target have received a booster shot so far. - Antara

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Indonesia has almost finished the last round of clinical trials for the two long-awaited locally produced Covid-19 vaccines.

But the future remains unclear whether the public could use them for much-needed booster doses with the government slashing the national economic recovery (PEN) budget for the pandemic response next year and possibly cutting the funding for further research.