JAKARTA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine made by the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech on Thursday arrived in Indonesia, according to Indonesian government officials.

A truck transports containers carrying the second batch of Covid-19 vaccines made by Sinovac, upon its arrival from Beijing at the Jakarta International Airport in Tangerang on December 31, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said this is the second batch of the Sinovac vaccine delivery for Indonesia, and that the first batch of 1.2 million doses arrived on Dec. 6.

"With this arrival, it means that there are already 3 million doses of Sinovac vaccine in Indonesia," Marsudi told a virtual press conference.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said vaccination is one of Indonesia's main strategies to solve the COVID-19 pandemic, adding, "It would take more than 12 months to complete the vaccination program, so we always keep up to health protocols."

Indonesia is planning to vaccinate 181.5 million of its population next year in order to achieve herd immunity and break the chain of coronavirus transmissions.

The first period of vaccination will be from January to April 2021, for inoculating 1.3 million medical workers, 17.4 million public workers, and 21.5 million elderly people.

The second period will run from April 2021 to March 2022 for vaccination of 63.9 million vulnerable people and 77.4 million people of other groups.