Eijkman: Merah Putih Vaccine to Be Tested Against Delta Variant

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The development of Indonesia's Merah Putih vaccine is still underway. The Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology head, Amin Soebandrio, confirmed the vaccine will be tested against various virus variants.

Amin explained antibodies that have been formed after a person is injected with the homegrown vaccine will be examined, including the Delta variant. “We will do so later, not only the Delta variant but also other variants,” he said on Sunday, August 1, 2021.

According to the Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Indonesia’s (UI) Medical Faculty, the test is necessary to obtain the efficacy rate of the vaccine.

Eijkman is one of seven institutions developing the domestic vaccine. The others are the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), University of Indonesia (UI), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Airlangga University (Unair), and Padjadjaran University (Unpad).

Additionally, Amin said Eijkman will learn from the experiences of various parties who have managed to produce Covid-19 vaccines. He and the team will thoughtfully observe the stages, including the clinical tests. “The existing vaccine will be a benchmark for us, both its efficacy and effectiveness,” he said.

Read: Eijkman Finds Covid-19 Delta Plus Variant in Indonesia

MOH KHORY ALFARIZI