DARUL IFTAA
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Question:
Assalaamu Alaikum
Malawi government recently announced that they will be rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine due to arrive in the country this week.
Kindly advise the Islamic view on the vaccine and its permissibility.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In terms of information at our disposal, it is permissible to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine. [1]
You may read more on the usage of vaccines in a detailed Fatwa here.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
[Mufti] Safwaan Ibn Ml Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim
Darul Iftaa
Limbe, Malawi
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
___________________________
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca
“The MHRA can confirm that the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca does not contain any components of animal origin.” The MHRA also confirmed in an email that although porcine trypsin and foetal bovine serum were used during the development process, they were removed in the subsequent processes and were not used in the manufacture of the final vaccine. Thus, the vaccine does not contain porcine or bovine components. This has also been confirmed in an email from AstraZeneca which states, “Porcine trypsin was only used at the during development of the T-REx-293 cells line. The trypsin was not in direct contact with the actual cell banks that were used in the manufacturing process. The final product does not contain any human or animal-derived ingredients, and all excipients are of vegetable origin.”
With reference to your queries to Astra Zeneca, kindly find our responses below:
Kindly refer to the package insert for Covishield (Astra-Zeneca-SII-COVID-19 vaccine)
(https://www.seruminstitute.com/product_covishield.php)
- There are no animal components in the vaccine. There is no porcine trypsin and foetal bovine serum in the vaccine.
- The vaccine is highly immunogenic. Based on the recently published data in the Lancet, vaccine efficacy more than 14 days after the second dose was 66·7%. Kindly find attached publication for more details.
- Long term follow up in clinical trials is still ongoing.
- Preliminary animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to fertility. Pregnancy is not a contraindication for receiving the vaccine. Administration of the vaccine in pregnancy should only be considered when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and foetus.
Final Efficacy and immuno by dose interval_Lancet_Feb2021
Also find a summary on the vaccine here by Dr Hussein Twabi, Reviewed and approved by: Dr Latif O Ndeketa and Dr Titus Divala.
