While there is some consternation about the World Health Organisation not having approved Covaxin, India’s indigenously developed vaccine, for emergency use yet, Indians who had opted for Covishield believing that the vaccine made using technology developed by AstraZeneca ~ which would hence be widely acceptable ~ are also in for a surprise.

Unlike AstraZeneca, which has been approved by 101 countries, its Serum Institute of India developed cousin has passed muster with only about 40.

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While the AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by most European countries, besides a host of others, Covishield has only been approved by Hungary in Europe.

This means that fully vaccinated Indians who had hoped that overseas travel would now be easier have reason to feel some frustration. While leisure travel is virtually ruled out in the circumstances that prevail around the world, and the myriad restrictions that are in place, the unacceptability of Indian vaccines will especially hamper several elderly persons unable to cope alone in India and needing to travel overseas to be with their children.

Already, many countries around the world are planning to ease restrictions on international travel on the basis of what are called vaccine passports, digital or paper records attesting to the holder having been vaccinated.

While such measures are necessary to ease the pressure on severely battered airline and tourism businesses, they also serve to overcome vaccine hesitancy. This month, the United Kingdom launched its digital vaccine passport through an app developed by the National Health Service.

The European Union is also preparing to issue vaccine passports to citizens of its 27 member states. The move has been cleared by officials and is awaiting ratification by the European Parliament. In any event, Europe plans to clear this hurdle in time for the summer tourist season, a move that will be hailed by the beleaguered travel industry.

Admittedly and as the UK government notes, “there are not many countries that currently accept proof of vaccination. So for the time being, most people will still need to follow other rules when travelling abroad ~ like getting a negative pre-departure test.” But Europe and the UK have taken the first steps towards international travel as the world once knew it. India, battling a ferocious second wave, is still way behind the world in terms of using vaccination as a means to boost travel and tourism.

While Covishield and Covaxin may not be accepted in many countries, should they not pass muster within India? Yet even fully vaccinated and healthy citizens need a negative RT-PCR report to travel to several states including West Bengal and Punjab.

Entry requirements have been left for state governments to decide and this has resulted in the country having possibly the most exhaustive ~ and confusing ~ set of requirements for domestic travel. It would be prudent for the Union government to step in and impose a uniform set of requirements that allow fully vaccinated persons to be allowed to travel, just as those with negative RT-PCR reports are. Surely, vaccination must pave the way to normality.