Indonesia’s esteemed Muslim clerical body may soon issue halal certification for the Covid-19 vaccine that has been developed by China-based company Sinovac Biotech, as per media reports.

The certification will approve the inoculation of the Covid-19 vaccine in the Muslim majority country once the vaccine starts rolling out.

This comes after the Indonesian Ulema Council Halal Product Guarantee Agency and Institute for the Assessment of Food, Drugs and Cosmetics carried a study and submitted it to the council for the making of a fatwa and halal certification.

Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said at a news conference that the certificate is going to be issued as over one million doses of the experimental Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac arrived in Indonesia on Sunday evening.

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said on Monday that the experimental vaccine is required to finish its third trial before its distribution in Indonesia is made.

The government will provide a vaccine that is proven safe and passes clinical trials under the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, Putranto said as cited in the Channel News Asia report.

Hermawan Saputra of the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association stated that 1.2 million doses will only be able to serve 6,00,000 people as each person requires two doses to generate immunity against the virus.

The government should guarantee that there will be enough for distribution to the entire country, Saputra said.

Saputra said after the successful completion of the third trial, the country will begin the immunisation programs in the middle of next year.

It has announced that the plans to use vaccines from several different producers in its effort to vaccinate the world's fourth most populated country. So far, Indonesia has received vaccines from the Sinovac only.

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