Concern among Muslims over halal status of COVID-19 vaccine

In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stepped off a plane in China. While diplomats were re to finalize deals to ensure millions of doses reached Indonesian citizens, clerics had a much different concern: Wher COVID-19 vaccine was permissible for use under Islamic law.

As companies race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and countries scramble to secure doses, questions about use of pork products — banned by some religious groups — has raised concerns about possibility of disrupted immunization campaigns.

Pork-derived gelatin has been widely used as a stabilizer to ensure vaccines remain safe and effective during stor and transport. Some companies have worked for years to develop pork-free vaccines: Swiss pharmaceutical company vartis has produced a pork-free meningitis vaccine, while Saudi- and Malaysia-based AJ Pharma is currently working on one of ir own.

But demand, existing supply chains, cost and shorter shelf life of vaccines t containing porcine gelatin means ingredient is likely to continue to be used in a majority of vaccines for years, said Dr. Salman Waqar, general secretary of British Islamic Medical Association.

Spokespeople for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are t part of ir COVID-19 vaccines. But limited supply and preexisting deals worth millions of dollars with or companies means that some countries with large Muslim populations, such as Indonesia, will receive vaccines that have t yet been certified to be gelatin-free.

This presents a dilemma for religious communities, including Orthodox Jews and Muslims, where consumption of pork products is deemed religiously unclean, and how ban is applied to medicine, he said.

“re’s a difference of opinion amongst Islamic scholars as to wher you take something like pork gelatin and make it undergo a rigorous chemical transformation," Waqar said. “Is that still considered to be religiously impure for you to take?”

majority consensus from past debates over pork gelatin use in vaccines is that it is permissible under Islamic law, as “greater harm” would occur if vaccines weren’t used, said Dr. Harur Rashid, an associate professor at University of Sydney.

re's a similar assessment by a broad consensus of religious leaders in Orthodox Jewish community as well.

“According to Jewish law, prohibition on eating pork or using pork is only forbidden when it’s a natural way of eating it,” said Rabbi David Stav, chairman of Tzohar, a rabbinical organization in Israel.

If “it’s injected into body, t (eaten) through mouth," n re is “ prohibition and problem, especially when we are concerned about sicknesses,” he said.

Yet re have been dissenting opinions on issue — some with serious health consequences for Indonesia, which has world's largest Muslim population, some 225 million.

In 2018, Indonesian Ulema Council, Muslim clerical body that issues certifications that a product is halal, or permissible under Islamic law, decreed that measles and rubella vaccines were “haram,” or unlawful, because of gelatin. Religious and community leaders began to urge parents to t allow ir children to be vaccinated.

“Measles cases subsequently spiked, giving Indonesia third-highest rate of measles in world,” said Rachel Howard, director of health care market research group Research Partnership.

A decree was later issued by Muslim clerical body saying it was permissible to receive vaccine, but cultural taboos still led to continued low vaccination rates, Howard said.

“Our studies have found that some Muslims in Indonesia feel uncomfortable with accepting vaccinations containing se ingredients," even when Muslim authority issues guidelines saying y are permitted, she said.

Governments have taken steps to address issue. In Malaysia, where halal status of vaccines has been identified as biggest issue among Muslim parents, stricter laws have been enacted so that parents must vaccinate ir children or face fines and jail time. In Pakistan, where re has been waning vaccine confidence for religious and political reasons, parents have been jailed for refusing to vaccinate ir children against polio.

But with rising vaccine hesitancy and misinformation spreading around globe, including in religious communities, Rashid said community engment is “absolutely necessary.”

“It could be disastrous,” if re is t strong community engment from governments and health care workers, he said.

In Indonesia, government has already said it will include Muslim clerical body in COVID-19 vaccine procurement and certification process.

“Public communication regarding halal status, price, quality and distribution must be well-prepared,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in October.

While y were in China in fall, Indonesian clerics inspected China's Sivac Biotech facilities, and clinical trials involving some 1,620 volunteers are also underway in Indonesia for company's vaccine. government has anunced several COVID-19 vaccine procurement deals with company totaling millions of doses.

Sivac Biotech, as well as Chinese companies Sipharm and CanSi Biologics — which all have COVID-19 vaccines in late-st clinical trials and deals selling millions of doses around world — did t respond to Associated Press requests for ingredient information.

In China, ne of COVID-19 vaccines has been granted final market approval, but more than 1 million health care workers and ors who have been deemed at high risk of infection have received vaccines under emergency use permission. companies have yet to disclose how effective vaccines are or possible side effects.

Pakistan is late-st clinical trials of CanSi Biologics vaccine. Bangladesh previously had an agreement with Sivac Biotech to conduct clinical trials in country, but trials have been delayed due to a funding dispute. Both countries have some of largest Muslim populations in world.

While health care workers on ground in Indonesia are still largely engd in efforts to contain virus as numbers continue to surge, Waqar said government efforts to reassure Indonesians will be key to a successful immunization campaign as COVID-19 vaccines are approved for use.

But, he said, companies producing vaccines must also be part of such community outreach.

“ more y are transparent, more y are open and honest about ir product, more likely it is that re are communities that have confidence in product and will be able to have informed discussions about what it is y want to do,” he said.

“Because, ultimately, it is choice of individuals.”