The world's largest Muslim-majority country plans to launch vaccinations on Jan 13 after obtaining 3 million doses from China's Sinovac Biotech. In a bid to boost acceptance, President Joko Widodo has said he will be the first to receive a vaccine shot next week. Dicky Budiman, a researcher at Australia's Griffith University, said authorities needed to be transparent on the halal certification to reassure the public. Bambang Heriyanto, Bio Farma's corporate secretary, confirmed receiving the statement, but said the halal status was decided by MUI. Malaysia does not require vaccines to be certified halal, though authorities are planning to introduce a certification framework this year to allay concerns among some Muslims.

Source: bd News24 January 06, 2021 10:41 UTC