Sinovac Vaccine Ready for Use

The issuance of an emergency use authorization for the Covid-19 vaccine produced by Sinovac has sparked new hope. Regardless, health protocols must still be strictly implemented.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Officers check the boxes for the Sinovac vaccine that just arrived at Tjilik Riwut Airport, Palangkaraya City, Central Kalimantan, Tuesday (5/1/2021).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech. The issuance of the EUA was based upon, among other things, an analysis of the vaccine’s phase three clinical trials in Bandung, which concluded that the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 65.3 percent. Taking its efficacy rate into consideration, the coverage of mass vaccination must be broadened, while the implementation of health protocols must be continued.

During a virtual press conference on Monday (11/1/2021) in Jakarta, BPOM head Penny K. Lukito said the results of the analysis on the CoronaVac vaccine’s efficacy showed that the vaccine managed to reduce the number of Covid-19 infections by 65.3 percent. Furthermore, it was also found that the vaccine could boost immunogenicity, or the ability to produce antibodies against a given antigen, to neutralize 99.23 percent of the virus within one’s body up to three months after vaccination.