Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia received 1.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the 198th and 199th stages that were donated by the Dutch and Japanese government.

These million donated vaccines are part of the efforts to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, the Communication and Informatics Ministry noted through a written statement here on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi remarked that the 228,800 vaccine doses that arrived in the 198th stage were donated by the Dutch government through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX).

With the delivery of the 10th batch of vaccines from the Dutch government, the total number of COVID-19 vaccines that Indonesia received from the Netherlands stood at 6,047,400 doses.

"This support is a form of strong solidarity from the Netherlands for Indonesia's vaccination program," the minister affirmed.

Meanwhile, the total number of vaccines that arrived in the 199th stage reached 1,175,800 doses, Public Information and Communication (IKP) Director General at the Communication and Informatics Ministry Usman Kansong noted.

These vaccines were donated by the Japanese government.

Kansong said that Indonesia expressed its gratitude to COVAX and the Japanese government that continue to support Indonesia in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine donation from the Japanese government is part of Japan's commitment to providing additional 2.72 million vaccine doses for Indonesia, he explained.

Earlier, in 2021, Japan had given 4.15 million vaccine doses to Indonesia.

"This proves the strong relations between the two countries and their large collective commitment to handling the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the Asian region," he remarked.

Indonesia is aiming to vaccinate at least 70 percent of its population by 2022, he noted.

To this end, vaccine availability is crucial. Moreover, the demand for vaccine increases along with the execution of free booster shot and vaccination for children.

"While demand rises, the government is committed to ensuring vaccine availability for the people," Kansong stated.