Today, on 6 January, Indonesia, like many other countries, reported a daily record of cases. The Indonesian archipelago has had 800,000 cases and 23,000 deaths so far. However, the nation and its capital, Jakarta, lead in under-reporting covid deaths.
Like many other countries, Indonesia is now getting
desperate to vaccinate its population. It has more than 17,000 islands, so
distribution of vaccines was always going to be a problem. Wisely, Indonesia
has placed binding orders from AstraZeneca (100 million), Novavax (50 million),
Pfizer (50 million), Covax/Gavi (53 million) and China’s Sinovac (125 million).
The vaccination will start from 13 January. The plan
is to vaccinate 182 million adult Indonesians in 15 months. The only problem is
that not a single vaccine is approved. Except a few doses of Sinovac, no other
vaccine is available, either.
*****
Indonesia has a dual approval process – one by the
medical regulating authorities, and the other by the council of Muslim clerics.
Indonesia, by the way, is the world’s most populous Islamic nation with 230
million Muslims. The Ulema council is the authority to decide whether any food,
drug, cosmetic or vaccine can be certified as per the Quran. At the Global
Halal center near Jakarta, the council operates its own labs in biotechnology,
physics, chemistry and microbiology which it has recently used to test Sinovac’s
vaccine for pig products.
Pork gelatin is a standard product used as a stabilizer
to keep vaccines safe and effective during storage and transport. Since the negotiations
began with China, the council has asked if Coronavac (the Chinese vaccine)
contains any pork. In July, a one sentence reply came from China. “Manufactured
free of porcine materials”. Neither the length of the letter nor its source was
reassuring. In October, along with the scientists, Muslim clerics visited China
to visit the vaccine making factory. Till date, China has not revealed the composition.
*****
In 2018, during a measles outbreak in Indonesia, the only
vaccine available contained pig products. The Ulema council declared it Haram,
forbidden under Islam. It said its use would be allowed because the outbreak
was a health emergency. But the word “haram” had done the damage. Many local Muslim
leaders opposed the use of a haram vaccine. Ten million children remained unvaccinated.
Measles cases subsequently soared, to become the third-highest in the world.
Last month, the Vatican released a statement declaring
coronavirus vaccines “morally acceptable” for Catholics who oppose vaccines developed
with stem cells from aborted fetuses. The top Rabbis have cleared vaccines for
Jews arguing vaccines are not exactly a food item. Malaysia and UAE have
approved pork-containing vaccines, because preserving human life is more important.
*****
Indonesia’s vaccine priorities are also unique. They
will vaccinate the young and healthy, age group 18-59 before the elderly. Government’s
stated logic is to protect the young, working people; allow them to work and
move freely; and stop the virus transmission that so often is started by the
young. 40% of the elderly Indonesians live in three-generation households.
The real reason, though, is that the Chinese company Sinovac
has only conducted trials among the 18-59 age group. China’s record is not
great. In 2018, a scandal ensued over substandard doses of a vaccine for diphtheria,
tetanus and whooping cough, and over fabricated data for a rabies vaccine.
Indonesia wouldn’t want to risk inoculating the age groups that were not
included in the trials.
*****
This week, a Fatwa from the Ulema Council is awaited.
For the sake of the Indonesian population, one hopes the council declares the
vaccine as Halal.
Ravi
Religion has a lot to answer for
ReplyDelete