Approved by WHO, Indonesia yet to Use Convidecia Vaccine

TheIndonesia.co - The authorities in Indonesia are yet to approve the use of Convidecia vaccine in the country after the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine get a nod from the World Health Organization, or WHO.

The Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) said Convidecia vaccine is not yet included in the national vaccination program because the current supply is still deemed adequate.

“Vaccine [stock] in Indonesia is still adequate, and Convidecia only came a little later,” ITAGI chairperson Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro said on Friday, May 20, as reported by Antara.

She added the vaccine had actually obtained an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Indonesian Food and Drug Administration, or BPOM, in September 2021, but it has yet to be used in Indonesia as part of the national rollout.

In Indonesia, vaccines that have been approved for use and included in national program are CoronaVac, COVID-19 Bio Farma, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna, Comirnaty (Pfizer and BioNTech), and Janssen vaccines.

On May 19, WHO announced the issuance of emergency use listing (EUL) for Convidecia vaccine, which is developed by Chinese vaccine company CanSino Biologics

WHO explained that the vaccine is “based on a modified human adenovirus that expresses the spike S protein of SARS-CoV-2” and that it’s “administered as a single dose”.

“The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing, convened by WHO and made up of regulatory experts from around the world, has determined that the vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against COVID-19 and that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh risks,” the statement read.

The United Nations organization also confirmed that Convidecia vaccine has been found to have 64 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease and 92 percent against severe COVID-19.