Indonesia has approved China's Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine for its elderly population, the country's food and drugs authority (BPOM) said in a letter to state-run pharmaceutical company Bio Farma seen by Reuters on Saturday.
The letter showed that Bio Farma has approved the vaccine for those aged 60 and above after 'taking into account the emergency situation".
Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman for the country's COVID-19 task force, confirmed the authenticity of the letter, as did a Bio Farma spokesman.
A BPOM spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Southeast Asian country gave Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine its first emergency use approval outside China as the world’s fourth most populous country launches nationwide inoculations.


Head of IRGC's intelligence organisation announced as dead
Six injured after Iranian attack on residential area in Kuwait
Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa kills three
US, Iran and mediators make push for 45-day ceasefire
US snatches airman from Iran as Trump, Israel ratchet up pressure