Novavax Inc. and partner Serum Institute of India received emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine from Indonesia on Monday, the first approval in the world for the U.S.-based drugmaker. Novavax stated that shipments to Indonesia will begin immediately.

The shot proved to be 90% effective in a late-stage clinical trial with 30,000 people based in the U.S. and Mexico, even against variants of concern. It is not an mRNA vaccine, but instead uses lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the COVID-19 virus.

The Indonesian government announced that the country will receive 20 million doses this year and distribution plans are in the works

The biotechnology company based in Maryland also filed for emergency use for its vaccine in Canada, the U.K, Australia, India, the Philippines and with the European Medicines Agency, according to Reuters.

The shot will be manufactured by Serum Institute, an Indian company and the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer with the brand name Covovax. Co-led by the World Health Organization, Novavax and the Serum Institute committed to providing 1.1 billion doses to the Covovax facility.

According to U.S. News and World Report, this vaccine is easy to transport because it does not require extremely cold storage temperature, which makes it easier to provide the vaccine to low-income countries.

RELATED STORIES
Coronavirus U.S.