The fatwa commission plans to check the (vaccine) factory in China.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The fatwa commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) will shortly dispatch a delegation to China to examine whether its COVID-19 vaccine is halal.

"The fatwa commission plans to check the (vaccine) factory in China," Secretary of the MUI Fatwa Commission Asrorun Niam Sholeh stated here on Tuesday.

The delegation is scheduled to depart for China on Wednesday (Oct 14) to conduct a halal audit of the COVID-19 vaccine. Indonesian state-owned pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma has registered China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine with the MUI for halal certification.

Bio Farma has established cooperation with Sinovac Biotech for development of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Indonesian government confirmed late last month that no volunteers of Phase III of the clinical trials of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in Bandung, West Java, had reportedly ailed from grave symptoms after being administered the vaccine injections.

"The clinical trials have, so far, run smoothly, and we did not receive any report on those experiencing serious side-effects. It means that the clinical trials have run smoothly and with good results," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated.

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, concurrently the non-active MUI chairman, had stated earlier that the COVID-19 vaccine should ideally be halal, though not being problem otherwise on account of the state of emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amin clarified that the vaccine being halal or not was not the main problem encumbering distribution of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, vice presidential spokesman Masduki Baidowi stated.

Indonesia is also independently developing a vaccine and is teaming up with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states for the COVID-19 vaccine development process.
Related news: Indonesia explores COVID-19 vaccine cooperation with UK, Switzerland

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Translator: Anom Prihantoro/Suharto
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