Covishield – Approval by 8 European Countries Out of Compulsion. Image Courtesy – BBC
The 8 European countries have included Covishield in their list of approved vaccines amid India’s ongoing dispute with the European Union over a green pass for the vaccine. Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland – these eight countries have accepted to give clearance for the Covid-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute. This means that people who have received the Covishield vaccine do not have to face travel restrictions in these countries. The government of India has taken an appropriate step this time.
India stated that if the European Union does not recognize the two Indian vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, India would not accept their digital covid certificate. It would be on a reciprocal basis. According to a Foreign Ministry source, India will implement a mutually agreed policy on quarantine. This means that if the EU countries do not accept people who have taken Covishield, Covaxin, people from those countries will also have to be in compulsory quarantine in India.
India has also discussed the matter with the European Medicines Agency and France. India has asked European Union member states to consider giving them similar concessions separately to those who have taken Covishield or Covaxin.
Those who have taken two doses of a vaccine do not have to be in the mandatory quarantine if they have this green pass. The mandatory option of the green pass to travel to European Union countries has been started.
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Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of the Serum Institute of India said that The European Medicines Agency did the proper step for applying to them. He said that they applied through AstraZeneca a month ago. That process takes some time. They are sure European Medicines Agency would approve Covishield. There was no reason for rejecting it because it was based on AstraZeneca data. Moreover, the products of Serum Institute were more or less the same as AstraZeneca.
Only the 4 vaccines Comirnaty, Moderna, Vaxzevria, and Janssen – have been already approved by European Medicines Agency. It was stated that only those who have received these vaccines would receive a vaccination passport, and would be able to travel without interruption. The two vaccines Covishield and Covaxcin were not on the list for so long.
The government of India expressed its concern about the passport issue and strongly opposed it at a meeting of G-7 countries. The government of India stated that the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated was still lower than the percentage of developing countries. So, such initiatives could be highly discriminatory. India has stated that vaccinated Indians should be treated in the same way as vaccinators in EU countries.
