Indonesian Alems declares Sinovac’s vaccine halal

The Indonesian Ulema Council said on Friday, that A COVID-19 vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech is deemed halal, or permissible under Islam days before the country is scheduled to start its inoculation programme using the Chinese vaccine, reports.

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has 3 million doses of CoronaVac and plans to use it when it starts its vaccination programme on Wednesday, with President Joko Widodo due to receive the first shot.

Asrorun Niam Sholeh of the council’s fatwa commission told a news conference that Sinovac’s CoronaVac was “holy and halal”, although authorisation for its use still rests on Indonesia’s food and drug agency (BPOM).

“This could be the information that could soothe the people, especially Muslims,” Niam said.

Indonesia is struggling with the worst COVID-19 epidemic in Southeast Asia and authorities are relying on a vaccine to help alleviate the health and economic crises ravaging the country.

It confirmed a record daily rise in COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day on Friday, reporting more than 10,000 daily infections for the first time and passing the 800,000 mark in cases, among the highest number in Asia.