EU says not all Covid-19 vaccines are equal, throwing travellers’ plans into disarray and undermining confidence in shots
- EU regulators have refused to recognise vaccines made in India, China and Russia despite their WHO approval
- This has led to accusations of discrimination and increasing public mistrust of vaccinations
The couple – and millions of other people vaccinated through a United Nations-backed effort – could find themselves barred from entering many European and other countries because those nations don’t recognise the Indian-made version of the vaccine for travel.
Although AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Europe has been authorised by the continent’s drug regulatory agency, the same shot manufactured in India hasn’t been given the green light. EU regulators say AstraZeneca hasn’t completed the necessary paperwork on the Indian factory, including details on its production practices and quality control standards.
As vaccination coverage rises across Europe and other rich countries, authorities anxious to salvage the summer tourism season are increasingly relaxing coronavirus border restrictions. Earlier this month, the EU introduced its digital Covid-19 certificate, which allows EU residents to move freely in the 27-nation bloc as long as they have been vaccinated with one of the four shots authorised by the European Medicines Agency, have a fresh negative test, or have proof they recently recovered from the virus.