The United Kingdom (UK) has announced its decision to add India’s Covaxin and China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm to its list of approved COVID-19 vaccines. The change will come into effect starting November 22.
On Monday, British authorities said they would now recognise all COVID-19 vaccines featured on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Emergency Use list, which is compiled by the WHO’s independent technical advisory group (TAG). The TAG acts as an independent group that advises the WHO on whether a COVID-19 vaccine should be approved for emergency use.
The announcement stated: “Passengers who have been fully vaccinated and have received their vaccine certificate from one of over 135 approved countries and territories are not required to take the pre-departure test, day 8 test or self-isolate upon arrival. Instead, passengers will need to pay for a lateral flow test to take before the end of their second day, post-arrival.” This decision comes in pursuance of the British government’s resolve to simplify travel rules.
Following this decision, the UK now recognises eight COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca (including the India-produced Covishield), Moderna, Janssen, Sinovac, Sinopharm, and Covaxin. Consequently, passengers from almost 135 countries will now be allowed to travel to the UK.
The decision will benefit inbound travellers from both China and India who have been inoculated with these jabs. Furthermore, both countries have also partnered with several countries and exported these vaccines. Therefore, individuals from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Malaysia will also benefit from the decision. The approval of these three vaccines can also help speed up the efforts of the WHO-led COVAX programme, an international initiative that aims to provide equitable (and assured) access to COVID-19 vaccines to all member countries, regardless of their purchasing power.
On November 3, the WHO issued an emergency-use listing for the India-made Covaxin. The Sinovac and Sinopharm candidates were approved by the WHO in June and May, respectively. These decisions were made after a detailed assessment of the jabs’ efficacy, safety, and quality. The WHO’s Emergency Use Listing paves the way for countries to expedite the emergency approval of the vaccine.
The Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech produces Covaxin, which has reported efficacy of 77.8% against symptomatic COVID-19 and 65.2% efficacy against the Delta variant. Meanwhile, the China-made Sinovac vaccine has a reported efficacy of 51% against symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% against severe COVID-19 and hospitalisations. The Chinese Sinopharm jab has shown an efficacy rate of 79% against symptomatic COVID-19 and hospitalisations.
UK to Add Covaxin, Sinovac to List of Approved Vaccines
The United Kingdom has approved the India-made Covaxin and China-made Sinovac, thereby removing quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated incoming travellers who have received these vaccines.
November 10, 2021
SOURCE: THE HINDU