In a move that is bound to bring relief to those looking to travel abroad, 96 countries have agreed to mutually recognise vaccine certificates of fully vaccinated travellers with India. “At present, 96 countries have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccine certificates and also those who recognise Indian vaccination certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield/WHO approved/nationally approved vaccines,” a statement of the Health Ministry said. Here’s what the move means for people looking to make international trips:
Also Read: List of Countries That Approved Entry of Indians Jabbed With Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin
Countries That Have Agreed to Recognise Indian Vaccine Certificates
These 96 countries include Canada, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Bangladesh, Mali, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Angola, Nigeria, Benin, Chad, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Moldova, Albania, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, and Iceland. Canada, however, does not yet recognise Covaxin and the vaccine maker Bharat Biotech needs to submit an application with all data and evidence related to the clinical trials, the Canadian High Commission said on Tuesday.
Also Read: For Covaxin Approval by Canada, Bharat Biotech Needs to Submit Application First: High Commission
Will the Move Help Ease Travel?
The move, announced by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday, is expected to ease travel for those vaccinated with Indian manufactured vaccines Covishield and Covaxin. For those who wish to travel abroad, the international travel vaccination certificate can be downloaded from the CoWIN portal, the Health Ministry said.
The announcement comes a day after UK announced that it will recognise India’s Covaxin jab as an approved Covid-19 vaccine for inbound travel from November 22. The WHO issued an emergency-use listing for Covaxin on November 3 and added the vaccine to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated by the health body for preventing Covid-19.
The United States has also opened its doors for vaccinated travellers from November 8. Recently, it updated its list of approved vaccines and given green light to those who have been inoculated with Covaxin to enter the country.
WHO’s Nod
On November 4, the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent advisory committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO), recommended Emergency Use Listing (EUL) status for Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, ending months of back and forth on a decision that massively impacts the travel rights of Indians.
Other Countries That Allow Indian Passengers
Before WHO’s approval, several countries had given their individual nod to Covaxin to ease international travel and allow passengers to enter their geographies. These include Iran, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Oman and Greece. However, those vaccinated with Covaxin cannot travel to all the countries that have approved the Covid-19 vaccine and that will not change despite WHO’s stamp given India’s air bubble agreement and a ban on international flights.
Air-bubble Pacts with 28 countries
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Indian aviation authority Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the suspension on scheduled international passenger flights till November 30, 2021. The ban has been in place since the pandemic began in March last year. However, India has formed air-bubble pacts with around 28 countries, including the US, UK, UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air-bubble agreement between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines with specific restrictions. Basis the air bubble agreements, Indians who have taken Covaxin can only travel to Oman, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Countries That do Not Recognise Covaxin
At present, there are several countries where Indians, jabbed with Covaxin, cannot take a direct flight to. These include:
Greece: Indians arriving in Greece are required to show a Covid-19 vaccine certificate, a negative RT-PCR report of less than 72 hours, or a negative antigen test less than 48 hours old. People do not need to quarantine unless Covid symptoms are observed on arrival. However, there are no direct flights operating with India and Greece and people have to take indirect flights through other European cities. Currently, no major European countries have approved Covaxin.
Canada: The country is yet to accept the India made vaccine despite World Health Organization’s approval for emergency use. According to a spokesperson at the Canadian High Commission, the list of approved vaccines for Canada include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
Australia: Australia is the latest country to approve the Bharat Biotech vaccine. It approved Covaxin, manufactured by Bharat Biotech, and BBIBP-CorV, manufactured by Sinopharm, China and recognised the two for the purpose of establishing a traveller’s vaccination status. However, the country doesn’t have air-bubble pact with India that allows direct flights. Currently, indirect flights to Australia have layover in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Tokyo airports. However, all the three countries haven’t approved Covaxin.
Philippines: Travellers who are vaccinated with Covaxin are allowed to go to the Philippines. However, India doesn’t run direct flights to the country, passengers have to take to alternate routes to travel.
Mexico: Mexico’s health regulator has authorised the emergency use of Covaxin. But the country is not among the 28 countries that India has signed pact under air bubble.
Mauritius: Indians who are vaccinated with the Bharat Biotech’s vaccine can travel to Mauritius, but India is not directly operating flights to the country.
In the case of indirect flights to the countries authorising Covaxin, yet not under air bubble pact with India, the guidelines and requirements of the layover depends on the country’s Covid-19 restrictions.
109 Crore Vaccines and Counting
The Health Minister said on Tuesday that over 109 crore vaccines have been administered in the country so far. The government is trying to reach out to those unvaccinated through ‘Har ghar dastak’ campaign. “Over 109 crore doses have been administered so far in the country. Under ‘Har ghar dastak’, healthcare workers are going to all houses to carry out the vaccination drive. 96 countries have recognised Covaxin and Covishield. You can see the list via CoWIN app,” Mansukh Mandaviya added.
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