In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stepped off a plane in China. While the diplomats were there to finalise deals to ensure millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine reached Indonesian citizens, the clerics had a different concern: Whether the vaccine was permissible for use under Islamic law. Questions about the use of pork products raised concerns about the possibility of disrupted immunisation campaigns. Pork-derived gelatin has been widely used as a stabiliser to ensure vaccines remain safe and effective during storage and transport. Spokespeople for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are not part of their Covid vaccines. But, amidst the current crisis, Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia will receive vaccines that have not yet been certified to be gelatin-free. The consensus from past debates over pork gelatin use in vaccines is that it is permissible under Islamic law, as “greater harm” would occur if they weren’t used, said Dr Harunor Rashid of the University of Sydney. There’s a similar assessment by a broad consensus of religious leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community as well. “If it’s injected into the body, not (eaten) through the mouth,” there is no problem, said Rabbi David Stav, chairman of Tzohar, a rabbinical organisation in Israel.