Serum Institute of India’s Covishield manufactured incollaboration with the AstraZeneca-Oxford may not eligible for the EuropeanUnion’s ‘vaccine passport’ or ‘Green Pass’- an immunity document that wouldease travel within and to the bloc.
Earlier, the European Union has said that member states canissue the certificates regardless of the type which type of Covid-19 vaccine.However, according to reports citing official rules, technical restrictions arestill there which state that ‘Green Pass’ will be limited to “vaccines thathave received EU-wide marketing authorization.”
As of now, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) hasapproved only four vaccines which include Comirnaty (Pfizer/ BioNTech),Moderna, Vaxzervia (AstraZeneca-Oxford), Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Thesevaccines can be used by the EU member states to issue the certificates.
Pertinently, Vaxzervia and Covishield are both theAstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines. It is only India-made Covishield that has not been recognizedby the EMA yet whereas the Vaxzeveria of AstraZeneca has received theapproval of the EU.
Pune-based SII’s developed Covishield is India’sindigenous vaccine and the majority of the nation’s population have received itsjab.
Concerned about the fact, SII CEO Adar Poonawalla onMonday has said that he has taken up the issues faced by the Indians whoreceived the Covishield dose and might not be able to travel to European Union.
He however has hoped that deliberations would draw apositive outcome.
In a tweet, Poonawalla wrote, "I have taken this upat the highest levels and hope to resolve this matter soon...," he said.