2021: Vaccines, Disparity, and Technology

The year 2020 is finally before us, and now we are entering 2021, a year filled with hope that the pandemic will be over soon. Scientists have been working hard to get vaccines, and they are finally here. In fact, the Indonesian president, several officials, and representatives from the citizens have received the vaccines^[i].  However, just in the beginning of 2021, Indonesia has broken its record of highest positive rate through having 12.818 new positive cases by 15^th January^[ii]. Even worse, it has reached 1 million, the first country to reach that number in Southeast Asia^[iii]. In an archipelago state with a 200 million population, distributing vaccines is not easy. For some, it can be a logistical nightmare. Not to mention the disparity of infrastructures between regions and many other inequalities could be burdensome in solving the pandemic situation. This article aims to look at the problems of vaccine distribution in Indonesia and how technology may or may not solve them.

First, there are two main problems of vaccine distribution in Indonesia: geography and data. Geographically, Indonesia comprises thousands of islands spanning from Sabang to Merauke. Unfortunately, the infrastructures are not yet equally distributed across the islands. Inequality and disparity still exist mostly in the Eastern part of Indonesia compared to the West but also between cities and villages. Nevertheless, expert already ensured that Indonesia already possesses a proportional vaccine distribution system^[iv]. 

The second problem is a database to track citizens who are eligible to receive the vaccines and how many times they have been vaccinated. Currently, the government uses ID verification to identify which citizens will get the vaccines. Some people get the notification through SMS, or they can individually check it through Peduli Lindungi’s application or website^[v]. However, a problem emerges as not all citizens of Indonesia have smart-gadget or access to the internet in the first place. Not to mention those who do not yet have identification cards like children. Although the vaccines for children are not ready yet, this can be a problem when it does. In this regard, how will the government solve this issue?

To address the problem, there are two proposed solutions. Firstly, a short-term solution. When technology is not the solution, one must resort to traditional means. Overall, all citizens in Indonesia have the same right to the government’s free vaccination program. However, when the citizens are not adequately documented, they can lose access to their rights. In this case, the government should be the proactive one to come to the rural areas utilizing the network of Puskesmas (Indonesian clinics) and local governments to ensure everyone has access to vaccines. This opportunity could be a way to document those who do not yet have access to identification cards and map out which regions are not yet accessible by the internet or other infrastructures.

After the documentation is adequately created, technology comes again into play. The data must be stored in a national database system. Even further, this database should connect different databases from ID cards, birth certificates, and driver’s licenses. Therefore, this can accommodate both children and adults everywhere and reduce the risk of people having multiple identities. Meanwhile, in the long term, the government should focus on building and ensuring better infrastructures in various areas in Indonesia. Just like how 2020 shows us high growth in internet adoption in Indonesia^[vi], the distribution of vaccines could be the way to improve connectivity and availability of vital infrastructures in Indonesia.  The Indonesian government has accelerated the process through projects such as the palapa ring^[vii].

To conclude, in distributing vaccines across Indonesia, the government faces two main problems: geographic and data disparity problems. Although technology can help to solve the issues, in the beginning, manual documentation must be made for those who are not yet included in the system. Moreover, for the long-term solution, infrastructure projects must be executed as soon as possible, and a centralized database should also be created. Thankfully, the government has been incorporating technology in distributing vaccines, for instance, by using the Peduli Lindungi app and tracking the vaccination process using barcodes. Therefore, the next step will be data transparency to the citizens, and the citizens should also be active monitoring agents of these technology’s initiatives.

Author: Theodore Great
Editor: Amelinda Pandu Kusumaningtyas

[i] Prihatini, Z., 2021. Tak Cuma Jokowi, Ini Daftar Penerima Vaksin Pertama. [online] detikHealth. Available at: <https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-5332594/tak-cuma-jokowi-ini-daftar-penerima-vaksin-pertama> [Accessed 15 Jan. 2021].

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[iii] Kompas Cyber Media, 2021. Tembus Lebih dari 1 Juta Kasus Covid-19, Indonesia Masuk 20 Besar di Dunia? Halaman all. [online] KOMPAS.com. Available at: <https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2021/01/27/123000765/tembus-lebih-dari-1-juta-kasus-covid-19-indonesia-masuk-20-besar-di-dunia> [Accessed 28 Jan. 2021].

[iv] Republika, 2020. Vaksinolog: Infrastruktur Distribusi Vaksin Sudah Lengkap. [online] Available at: <https://republika.co.id/share/qk3col370> [Accessed 28 Jan. 2021].

[v] Anon 2021. Cek NIK – PeduliLindungi. [online] Available at: <https://pedulilindungi.id/cek-nik> [Accessed 15 Jan. 2021].

[vi] APJII, 2020. BULETIN APJII EDISI 74 November2020. [online] Available at<https://apjii.or.id/downfile/file/BULETINAPJIIEDISI74November2020.pdf> [Accessed 29 Dec. 2020].

[vii] KOMINFO, 2020. Sekilas Palapa Ring. [online] Website Resmi Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika RI. Available at: <http:///content/detail/3298/sekilas-palapa-ring/0/palapa_ring> [Accessed 19 Aug. 2020].