In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stopped a plane in China. While the diplomats were there to conclude contracts to ensure that millions of doses of Indonesian citizens were reached, the clergy had very different concerns: Whether the Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use under Islamic law.
As companies race to develop Covid-19 vaccines and countries scramble to get doses, questions about the use of pig products – banned by some religious groups – have raised concerns about the potential of riot vaccine campaigns.
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Pig-derived gelatin has been widely used as a stable to ensure that vaccines remain safe and effective during storage and transport. Some companies have been working for years to develop swine-free vaccines: Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has developed a swine-free meningitis vaccine, and AJ Pharma is based in Saudi- and Malaysia. currently working on one of their own.
However, demand, the existing supply chains, the cost and the shortest shelf life of vaccines that do not contain pig gelatin mean that the ingredient is likely to continue to be used in most vaccines for years, said Dr Salman Waqar, general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association.
Speakers for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have stated that pig products are not part of their Covid-19 vaccines. But limited supply and preexisting contracts worth millions of dollars with other companies mean that some countries with large Muslim populations, such as Indonesia, will receive vaccines that have not yet been proven to be gelatin – free.
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This provides a legacy for religious communities, including rectangular Jews and Muslims, where the consumption of pig products is considered unclean, and how the ban has been imposed in treatment, he said.
“There is a difference of opinion among Islamic scholars as to whether you take something like pig gelatin and make it through harsh chemical modification,” Waqar said. “Is that still considered a divinely un- can you take it? “
Most of the consensus from previous debates on the use of pig gelatin in vaccines is that it is permissible under Islamic law, as there would be “more harm” if the vaccines were not used, said Dr Harunor Rashid, high associate professor at the University of Sydney.
There is a similar assessment with a broad consensus of religious leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community as well.
“Under Jewish law, the ban on eating pork or using pork is prohibited only when it is a natural way to eat,” said Rabbi David Stav, chairman of Tzohar, a rabid group in Israel.
If it is “taken into the body, not (eaten) by mouth”, there is “no prohibition or problem, especially when we are worried about illness,” he said.
But there have been dissenting views on the issue – some with a negative health impact on Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world, at around 225 million.
In 2018, the Ulema Council of Indonesia, the Muslim clerical body that issues certifications that the product is halal, or permitted under Islamic law, agreed that the measles and rubella vaccines were “haram,” or illegal, because of the gelatin. Religious and community leaders began urging parents not to allow their children to be vaccinated.
“Measles cases subsequently spiked, bringing Indonesia the third highest rate of measles in the world,” said Rachel Howard, director of Research Partnership’s healthcare market research group.
An order was subsequently issued by the Muslim clerical group saying it was permissible to get the vaccine, but cultural taboos still led to persistently low vaccination levels, Howard said.
Governments have taken steps to address the issue. In Malaysia, where halal vaccination status has been identified as the predominant issue among Muslim parents, stricter laws have been enacted to require parents to vaccinate or fine their children and jail time. . In Pakistan, where confidence in a vaccine has been reduced for religious and political reasons, parents have been imprisoned for refusing to take their polio vaccine.
But with delays in vaccinations and misinformation spreading around the world, including in faith communities, Rashid said community communication was “absolutely essential.”
In Indonesia, the government has already said it will involve the Muslim clerical group in the Covid-19 vaccine procurement and certification process.
“Public communication on halal status, price, quality and circulation needs to be well prepared,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in October.
While in China in the autumn, Indonesian clerks inspected Sinovac Biotech facilities in China, and clinical trials involving about 1,620 volunteers are also underway in Indonesia for vaccination. company. The government has announced several Covid-19 vaccine supply contracts with the company making millions of doses.
Sinovac Biotech, as well as Chinese companies Sinopharm and CanSino Biologics – which all have Covid-19 vaccines in late clinical trials and contracts that sell millions of doses worldwide – have not responded to Associated Press requests. for ingredient information.
In China, none of the Covid-19 vaccines have been given final market approval, but more than 1 million health care workers and others, who are considered at high risk of infection, have received vaccines under emergency use permit. The companies have not yet revealed the effectiveness of the vaccines or the possible side effects.