Concern among Muslims over halal status of COVID-19 vaccine As companies around the globe race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and nations scramble to secure millions of doses, questions about the use of pork-derived ingredients has begun to play a role in the purchasing and planned distributionJAKARTA, Indonesia -- In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stepped off a plane in China. While the diplomats were there to finalize deals to ensure millions of doses reached Indonesian citizens, the clerics had a much different concern: Whether the COVID-19 vaccine was permissible for use under Islamic law. Spokespeople for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are not part of their COVID-19 vaccines. In Indonesia, the government has already said it will include the Muslim clerical body in the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and certification process. The government has announced several COVID-19 vaccine procurement deals with the company totaling millions of doses.

Source: ABC News December 20, 2020 04:52 UTC