Vaccine rebrand to help Aussies travel

THe AstraZeneca vaccine is set to be rebranded to Vaxzevria in a bid to make it easier for Australians who have received the AZ jab to travel overseas.

The trademark Vaxzevria name is currently used in European Union nations, with the pharmaceutical company stating a global name change will remove any ambiguity around travel and enable Australians’ vaccination status to be recognised overseas.

“This will facilitate travel for people who have received AstraZeneca’s vaccine from anywhere in the world,” the company said.

The move follows concerns expressed by the World Travel and Tourism Council last month that a global agreement was needed about vaccine recognition if international travel is to reboot effectively (TD 19 Jul).

Over 750m doses of the AZ jab have been distributed globally.