IMP

You May Not Be Able To Travel To Europe If You’re Vaccinated With Covishield & Here’s Why

—

by

Khushal
in

With global travel on the horizon, vaccine passports are being given the number one priority. Many airlines and countries are now relaxing travel rules for fully vaccinated travellers. Europe is now open to fully vaccinated tourists from certain countries. However, a holiday to Europe could still be a far-flung dream for Indian travellers. Travellers vaccinated with Covishield, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine manufactured in India, may not be eligible for the European Union’s Green Pass that eases travel to Europe.

Only Four Vaccines Approved For EU’s Green Pass

While the European Union had earlier said that member states can pass regardless of the type of Covid-19 vaccine, the latest specifications indicate that the pass will be limited to vaccines that have received EU-wide marketing authorization. At present, four vaccines have been approved by the European Medicines Agency and that includes Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Moderna, Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca-Oxford) and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

India-Manufactured Covishield Not On EU’s List

While Vaxzevria and Covishield are both the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines. the India-manufactured Covishield has not been recognised by the EMA yet. Astrazeneca’s Vaxzevria shot produced and manufactured in the UK and other places around Europe is approved. And while a majority of us have received Covishield, manufactured locally by Pune-based Serum Institute of India, travelling still remains a big question.

COVAXIN By Bharat Biotech Not Included In WHO’s Emergency Use Listing

Europe has recently announced that it will welcome vaccinated tourists to boost travel and that it will allow people vaccinated with the shots mentioned in WHO’s EUL list. The COVAXIN produced by Bharat Biotech has not been included in WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL). This means that if you are vaccinated with Covaxin against COVID-19, you will not be able to make trips to Europe either.

Conclusion: While, it is still unclear whether countries will accept both Covishield and Covaxin shots, it is imperative to keep travel in the backseat and get vaccinated right now as India fights the deadly wave of coronavirus. You can always take a booster shot later to be eligible to travel to most countries once normalcy returns.