New Delhi: India has urged European Union’s member states to accept Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization and national authorities, such as Covishield and Covaxin, for its controversial Digital Covid Certificate. And in a reciprocal move, travellers from the countries concerned will be exempt from mandatory quarantine in India, sources said.
The Digital Covid Certificate framework or ‘Green Pass’, which will come into effect in the EU from 1 July, recognises a few Covid vaccines to enable people to travel in and out of Europe with fewer roadblocks. So far, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved four vaccines — Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Moderna, Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca) and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
However, while the AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved, EMA did not include Covishield, which is derived from the AstraZeneca shot and is manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India.
According to sources in the external affairs ministry, the government has “noted” the developments and said that under this framework, people inoculated with vaccines authorised by the EMA will be exempted from travel restrictions within the EU.
The sources also noted that individual EU member states within the 27-nation bloc have the flexibility to accept vaccines that have been authorised at the national level or by the WHO.
Therefore, New Delhi has requested Brussels to “individually consider extending similar exemption” to the people vaccinated with Covishield and Covaxin in India, and “accept the vaccination certificate issued through the CoWIN portal”.
The genuineness of such vaccination certification can be authenticated on the CoWIN portal, the sources added.
India has also urged individual EU member states that if it considers the requests then it will also “institute a reciprocal policy for recognition” of the EU Digital Covid Certificate.
Upon notification of Covishield and Covaxin for inclusion in the ‘Green Pass’, and recognition of the CoWIN vaccination certificates, sources said, health authorities will reciprocally exempt travellers from the countries concerned, in possession of the certificate, from mandatory quarantine in India.
Also read: Jaishanker takes up Covishield authorisation for travel to Europe at G20 ministerial meet
Adar Poonawala’s response to EMA exclusion
After it was revealed that Covishield had not been approved by EMA for the digital certificate, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute, said he had taken up the matter at the “highest levels”.
“I realise that a lot of Indians who have taken COVISHIELD are facing issues with travel to the E.U., I assure everyone, I have taken this up at the highest levels and hope to resolve this matter soon, both with regulators and at a diplomatic level with countries,” Poonawalla tweeted Monday.
https://twitter.com/adarpoonawalla/status/1409382675748515841
Meanwhile, in a response to the BBC, the EMA noted that SII had not yet applied for authorisation.
The EU’s Digital Certificate will come in a digital or paper format with a QR code. It will be acceptable by all EU member states to ensure seamless travel within the bloc.
Also read: Modi govt plans to revive ‘Vaccine Maitri’ in July-August, but only in neighbourhood