9 European countries include Covishield in ‘green pass’
Germany and Spain are among nine countries in Europe who have told India they will accept travellers inoculated with Covishield, the Indian-made version of Astrazeneca’s vaccine, say foreign ministry sources
Germany and Spain are among nine countries in Europe who have told India they will accept travellers inoculated with Covishield, the Indianmade version of Astrazeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Indian foreign ministry sources said on Thursday.
Friction emerged between India and Europe in recent days over the exclusion by the European Union vaccine passport programme of Covishield as one of its accepted vaccines.
From Thursday, the programme allows anyone who is fully vaccinated with any of five Westernmade vaccines - Moderna, Pfizer and Biontech, Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca - travel freely within the bloc.
The exclusion of Covishield, which is produced by India’s Serum Institute using analogous methods to the Eu-approved Astrazeneca vaccine Vaxzevria but does not have EU market authorisation, stoked anger and the treat of retaliatory measures by India against travellers from Europe.
An Indian foreign ministry source said on Thursday that Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland had informed the Indian government that Covishield would be accepted for the purposes of travel.
Estonia has said it will recognise all the vaccines authorised by the Indian government, the source said, which would include Covaxin that has been developed by local firm Bharat Biotech.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar tweeted earlier in the week that he had taken up the issue of authorisation of the Indian version of Astrazeneca during his meeting with EU representatives on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministers meeting in Italy.
Another foreign ministry source said that India had told the EU that it would lit quarantine requirements for anyone carrying the EU Digital Covid certificate, but they would have to allow equal access to Indians travelling with vaccines made in India.
“We have also conveyed to EU Member States that India will institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU Digital Covid Certificate,” the second source said.
Once the EU listed the two vaccines currently being administered in India in its digital certificate, then India will waive quarantine requirements from people coming from EU countries, the second source said.
India has planned to provide 12 crore doses of vaccines this month in government as well as private hospitals across 37 states and Union Territories (UTS) covering people above 18 years of age.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan made the announcement declaring that the states have already been informed in advance about Covid-19 vaccine supplies for July and that the information was shared with them 15 days prior, along with details about day wise supply.
“Total of 12 crore doses shall be made available in July. Private hospital supply will be over and above this,” Vardhan said in a tweet.
The Minister also mentioned that vaccination speed picked up ater the Central government provided 75 per cent of vaccines available for free, and 11.50 crore doses were given in June.
As per the Centre’s Covid vaccine allocation plan for July, India’s two indigenous drugs - Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin - will be provided to the states India began its vaccination drive on January 16 this year and it has so far inoculated over 33.57 crore people across the country.
The EU does, however, also say “member states may decide to extend this (the certificate) also to EU travellers that received another vaccine.”
Under these rules, Indians - vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin - may be subject to quarantine if they travel to the EU nations, unless these vaccines are cleared by the respective countries.
On Wednesday, sources in the foreign ministry said India will begin a reciprocal policy when it comes to exemption from quarantine.
This would mean that unless the European Union accepts those vaccinated with Covishield and Covaxin, people from EU will also face mandatory quarantine upon arrival in India.
Serum Institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday said the Serum Institute is hoping the European drug regulators will approve Covishield in a few weeks.