TEMPO.CO, Bandung - The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) extended its supervision of the efficacy and side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech. Volunteers of the clinical trial were scheduled to have their last blood drawn in December, yet it has been determined that they will have another blood test in March 2021.

This change was revealed by West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, who also volunteered for the phase three clinical trials of the antibody, after passing a blood sample at Garuda Health Center, Bandung on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020.

“BPOM makes changes. Bio Farma’s vaccine volunteers must be checked not just in three months but also in six months. So we will have our blood drawn again in March 2021,” Kamil said.

According to him, the announcement of the success or failure of phase three clinical trials will likely be postponed to March 2021. “Because BPOM wants to ensure the antibody content in our body (volunteers) is abundant in a longer period of time,” he added.

Kamil explained he had a second blood test right after three months after the first injection of the potential vaccine dubbed CoronaVac. He claimed he and other local government officials involved in the same clinical trials were in good health and not developing side effects.

Ridwan Kamil said he also had many Covid-19 swab tests and the result came back negative. “Whether it is because of the [potential] vaccine or not, it cannot be concluded yet but that’s the fact we feel,” he said.

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