There is concern among Muslim countries around the world regarding coronavirus vaccines, as gelatin derived from pork is widely used as a stabilizer in vaccines to ensure that they remain safe and effective during storage and transportation. , the Associated Press reported.
Spokespersons for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are not an ingredient in their coronavirus vaccines. But the circumstances are such, as a result of pre-existing multi-million dollar deals and limited supply, that certain Muslim countries like Indonesia will receive vaccines that are not yet certified as gelatin-free.
The dislike of vaccines by the Muslim community for being ‘haram’ or containing pork products is not a new phenomenon. In 2018, Indonesia’s Ulema Council, the country’s highest administrative body that issues halal certificates, declared measles and rubella vaccines “haram” due to gelatin derived from pork.
The result? “Subsequently, measles cases increased, giving Indonesia the third highest measles rate in the world,” said Rachel Howard of the Research Partnership. “Public communication on halal status, price, quality and distribution must be well prepared,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in October.
Sinovac Biotech, one of the Chinese manufacturers of coronavirus vaccines, and other Chinese companies Sinopharm and CanSino Biologics declined to respond to the AP’s inquiries about the ingredients of their vaccines. They have already struck deals worth millions with Muslim countries around the world. Pakistan is conducting clinical trials of the CanSino Biologics vaccine, the trials are at an advanced stage.
But there is still a debate among Islamic scholars about whether a vaccine containing a product derived from pork could be halal after all. “There is a difference of opinion among Islamic scholars as to whether you take something like pork gelatin and undergo a rigorous chemical transformation,” said Dr Salman Waqar, secretary general of the British Islamic Medical Association. “Is it still considered to be religiously unclean for you to take?”
As we previously reported, Indonesia’s highest Muslim body is expected to issue a halal certificate for the experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by China-based Sinovac Biotech. The Indonesian Ulema Council Halal Products Assurance Agency and the Institute for Food, Drug and Cosmetic Evaluation had completed their study and a fatwa and halal certification is expected soon, the Minister of Human Development and Culture told the media, Muhadjir Effendy.
