<p>Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Wednesday he would be the first person in the country to be vaccinated for Covid-19 as he unveiled a campaign promising free inoculations for everyone in the world's fourth most-populous nation.</p>.<p>Wikodo's announcement comes as Indonesia battles misinformation over the virus in order to stave off a fresh wave of infections, with some 630,000 recorded by Wednesday and more than 19,000 deaths.</p>.<p>"The Covid-19 vaccine for all citizens will be FREE," Widodo said in a video on his Twitter account.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-world-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-gujarat-Bengaluru-deaths-cases-recoveries-Covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-moderna-AstraZeneca-927835.html"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>The government originally said only health workers, the elderly, and other key personnel would be given the vaccine for free.</p>.<p>Widodo did not say when he would take the vaccine, or when the national inoculation program would start.</p>.<p>But said he was happy to be the first to be inoculated in order to prove it was safe.</p>.<p>"There's no reason people shouldn't get the vaccine or doubt its safety," he added.</p>.<p>Indonesia has signed deals for more than 350 million vaccine doses from various international pharmaceutical companies -- including British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca and Chinese suppliers Sinovac.</p>.<p>The current vaccine deals do not, however, provide enough doses for the required two per person that would cover Indonesia's entire 270-million population.</p>.<p>The country received its first delivery of 1.2 million Sinovac doses this month, with another 1.8 million to arrive in January.</p>
<p>Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Wednesday he would be the first person in the country to be vaccinated for Covid-19 as he unveiled a campaign promising free inoculations for everyone in the world's fourth most-populous nation.</p>.<p>Wikodo's announcement comes as Indonesia battles misinformation over the virus in order to stave off a fresh wave of infections, with some 630,000 recorded by Wednesday and more than 19,000 deaths.</p>.<p>"The Covid-19 vaccine for all citizens will be FREE," Widodo said in a video on his Twitter account.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-world-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-gujarat-Bengaluru-deaths-cases-recoveries-Covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-moderna-AstraZeneca-927835.html"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>The government originally said only health workers, the elderly, and other key personnel would be given the vaccine for free.</p>.<p>Widodo did not say when he would take the vaccine, or when the national inoculation program would start.</p>.<p>But said he was happy to be the first to be inoculated in order to prove it was safe.</p>.<p>"There's no reason people shouldn't get the vaccine or doubt its safety," he added.</p>.<p>Indonesia has signed deals for more than 350 million vaccine doses from various international pharmaceutical companies -- including British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca and Chinese suppliers Sinovac.</p>.<p>The current vaccine deals do not, however, provide enough doses for the required two per person that would cover Indonesia's entire 270-million population.</p>.<p>The country received its first delivery of 1.2 million Sinovac doses this month, with another 1.8 million to arrive in January.</p>