New Delhi: As Europe’s new vaccine passport programme — which recognises a few Covid-19 vaccines to enable people to travel in and out of Europe with with fewer roadblocks — does not include Covishield, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine manufactured in India, its manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) hopes to “resolve this matter soon”.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute, said he has taken this up 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,” he said in a tweet.
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.
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) June 28, 2021
EU’s ‘Green Pass’, which will be available for use from 1 July, will include the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). To date, EMA has approved four vaccines — Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Moderna, Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca), Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
While it includes the AstraZeneca vaccine, it does not include Covishield. Pune-based SII hasn’t yet applied for vaccine approval by the EMA.
Green Pass to show bearer’s vaccination status
On 26 May, European Union leaders announced the introduction of “Digital Covid Certificate” — a bloc-wide Covid-19 pass, with the objective of allowing tourists.
According to reports, the EU’s Covid certificate “will show the bearer’s vaccination status, or whether they have immunity from a Covid infection they have recovered from, or the result of a Covid test.”
The certificates will have a scannable QR code to show the status of vaccination.
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