Covishield may not be eligible for ‘vaccine passport’ by the EU

The European Union had earlier said that member states can issue the certificates regardless of the type of Covid-19 vaccine, but the technical specifications indicate that the pass will be limited to “vaccines that have received EU-wide marketing authorization”.

Travellers vaccinated with Covishield, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine manufactured in India, may not be eligible for the European Union’s “Green Pass” – an immunity document that is meant to ease travel within and to the bloc, according to reports citing official rules.

A majority of people in India have received Covishield, manufactured locally by Pune-based Serum Institute of India.(Vipin Kumar /HT file photo)

The European Union had earlier said that member states can issue the certificates regardless of the type of Covid-19 vaccine, but the technical 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 (EMA) that can be used by the EU member states to issue the certificates. These are Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Moderna, Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca-Oxford), Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Vaxzevria and Covishield are both the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines. While the India-made Covishield has not been recognised by the EMA yet, the Vaxzevria version of the Astrazeneca shot produced and manufactured in the UK or other sites around Europe is approved, the reports said.

A majority of people in India have received Covishield, manufactured locally by Pune-based Serum Institute of India.

It is, however, unclear how much of an impact these certificates will have on Indian travellers. The certificate is mainly meant for EU citizens but other countries can obtain the certificate too — if they can convince authorities in an EU country they’re entering that they qualify for one.

Covishield is also at the core of the World Health Organization’s Covax programme meant to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

While these four vaccines have been approved by EMA, countries within the 27-member bloc can accept other vaccines as part of their own travel rules, the reports added.

The EU has been working for months on the joint digital travel certificate for those vaccinated, freshly tested, or recently recovered from the virus. The free certificates, which will contain a QR code with advanced security features, will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests.

Several EU countries have already begun using the system, including Spain, Germany, Greece, and Poland. The rest are expected to start using it July 1.

(With agency inputs)