An Indonesian pharmaceutical firm has postponed a plan to sell a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine directly to the public, amid criticism by health experts that such commercial schemes could bypass vulnerable groups in a country that promised free shots to all.

The decision came as coronavirus cases and deaths from the virus have hit record highs, pushing the healthcare system close to breaking point in parts of densely populated Java island, Reuters reported.

State-owned pharmaceutical company Kimia Farma said it had put the scheme to sell the Sinopharm vaccine on hold to allow more time to explain it to the public.

“For the time being we have postponed it after it generated a lot of interest,” said Novia Valentina, a spokeswoman for Kimia Farma Apotek, a subsidiary of the state-owned firm.