The Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) of Indonesia on Monday approved the emergency use of CoronaVac, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac, the Coconuts Jakarta news outlet reported, citing BPOM Head Penny K. Lukito
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2021) The food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) of Indonesia on Monday approved the emergency use of CoronaVac, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac, the Coconuts Jakarta news outlet reported, citing BPOM Head Penny K. Lukito.
"On the whole, CoronaVac has been shown to be safe, with side effects ranging from light to moderate," the BPOM head said, as quoted by the news agency.
Lukito added that the Sinovac-developed vaccine met the World Health Organization's safety requirements, while a local clinical trial in Indonesia has shown its efficacy rate at 63.5 percent.
Indonesia has secured 125 million vaccine doses and already received 3 million. The country plans to launch a vaccination campaign on January 13, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be the first to receive a CoronaVac shot.
To date, Indonesia has confirmed over 836,000 COVID-19 cases, including more than 24,000 deaths and over 688,000 recoveries.
