DUBLIN: European Union Ambassador to India, Ugo Astuto, on Tuesday confirmed that there is no ban on India’s Covishield vaccine from the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
“It is to clarify there is no banning on Covishield, we have set up in place a new system of Digital COVID Certificate which is meant to facilitate travel within the European Union,” Ambassador of the European Union to India said.
Covishield, manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), was approved by the World Health Organization but not by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is why it is not included in the ‘Green Passport’. However, the report states that EU member states will have the option of accepting World Health Organization-approved vaccinations.
The inability of those who have received the Indian-made Covishield vaccine to enter the COVID Certificate had caused great concern among European expats and their families. Following the concerns, Serum CEO and owner Adar Poonawalla stated on Monday that he has escalated the situation to the highest level and hopes for a quick resolution.
Ambassador Ugo Astuto said: “Basically, this certificate is proof that a person is vaccinated against COVID or received a negative test or recovered from COVID19. So this is meant as a facilitator but it is not a precondition for travel.”
He also said that people who have not been vaccinated should be allowed to travel under strict conditions such as testing and quarantine.
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