Indonesia approves China’s CoronaVac for emergency use

Indonesia's medicine regulators on Monday approved an emergency use authorization for the CoronaVac vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company.

Penny K. Lukito, head of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control, said the decision was based on the Phase III clinical trials conducted in Bandung, West Java, which put an estimated vaccine efficacy at 65.3%.

"The CoronaVac vaccine shows the ability to build antibodies in the body that can disable the virus," said the official during a virtual news conference on Monday.

The efficacy rate, she explained, is higher than a minimum efficacy rate of 50% set by the World Health Organization.

According to the agency, the side effects of this vaccine include muscle pain, fatigue and fever. Meanwhile, the severe effects include headache, skin disorder and diarrhea.

"So far, we have found only 0.1 to 1% of side effects. The side effects and adverse reactions were neither dangerous nor life-threatening," Lukito added.

Indonesia will begin its nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program on Jan. 13 and President Joko Widodo will be the country's first vaccine recipient.

The first phase of vaccination, which will last until April, will prioritize 1.3 million health care workers, 17.4 million public workers and 21.5 million elderly people.

Meanwhile, the second phase will take place from April to March 2022 for 63.9 million people belonging to vulnerable groups and 77.4 million others.