EU Excludes Covishield from New COVID 'Green Pass' Eligibility List

According to reports quoting official guidelines, travellers vaccinated with Covishield, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine made in India, may not be eligible for the European Union's "Green Pass" — an immunisation card designed to facilitate travel within and to the EU. 

Only "vaccines that have gained EU-wide marketing authorization" will be eligible for the green pass even though earlier the EU said that member states can issue the certificates regardless of the type of Covid-19 vaccine. 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has now authorised four vaccinations that can be used by EU member states to issue certifications. Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Moderna, Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca-Oxford), and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) are among them. 

AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines include Vaxzevria and Covishield. While the Covishield developed in India has not yet been authorised by the EMA, the Vaxzevria version of the Astrazeneca shot developed and manufactured in the UK or other locations throughout Europe, according to sources, is. 

The majority of individuals in India have got Covishield, which is manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India in Pune. 

It is unclear, however, how much of an influence these credentials will have on Indian tourists. The certificate is primarily intended for EU nationals, but other nations can acquire one as well provided they can convince officials in the EU country into which they are travelling that they are eligible. 

Covishield is also at the heart of the World Health Organization's Covax initiative, which aims to guarantee fair vaccination delivery to middle and low income nations.

While the EMA has authorised these four vaccinations, countries within the EU's 27-member bloc can accept other vaccines as part of their own travel guidelines, according to the reports. 

For months, the EU has been working on an unified digital travel certificate for people who have been vaccinated, have recently been screened, or have recently recovered from the infection. The free certificates, which will include a QR code with enhanced security measures, will enable more people between European nations without being quarantined or subjected to further coronavirus testing to travel.  

Several EU nations, notably Spain, Germany, Greece, and Poland, have already begun to use the system. The remainder are scheduled to begin using it on July 1. 

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