Indonesia ready to start using AstraZeneca jab after suspension as Covid-19 cases are on a downtrend

Medical workers prepare to administer a COovid-19 vaccine at a drive-through vaccination centre in Nusa Dua, Bali, on March 1. - AFP

JAKARTA, March 21 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesia is ready to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine made by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca after a brief delay over blood clot concerns, as the country’s drug regulator and top Muslim clerical body have approved its use.

The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) announced that the vaccine was safe to use, a day after its European Union counterpart, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), had said that its benefits in preventing hospitalizations and deaths outweighed the risk of its side effects.