The move follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency use list for Covaxin, the second most commonly used formulation in India.
The UK government has said India’s Covaxin will be added to the list of approved COVID-19 vaccines for international travelers from 22 November, meaning those vaccinated with the India biotech-made jab will have to self-isolate after arriving in England. Wouldn’t have to.
The move follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency use list for Covaxin, the second most commonly used formulation in India.
Covishield, the India-made Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, was added to the UK’s approved list last month.
“There is more good news for Indian travelers in the UK. From 22 November travelers have been fully vaccinated with a COVID19 vaccine, which is recognized by the WHO for emergency use list including Covaxin, allowing them to self- Will not isolate; so join those who are fully vaccinated with Covidshield,” Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said on Twitter on Monday.
How does a vaccine work?
A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces an immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infections, but also helps build herd immunity quickly to end the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, reducing the chances of the disease spreading from person to person. The good news is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, increasing the viability of the vaccine.
How many types of vaccines are there?
The changes will be effective from 4 a.m. on November 22. The changes will be effective from 4 a.m. on November 22. In addition to Covaxin, China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm will both be recognized by the UK government, on the WHO’s emergency use list. Vaccines approved for inbound travel benefit fully vaccinated people in the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.
These fully vaccinated passengers will not be required to undergo pre-departure testing, day-8 testing or self-isolate upon arrival. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “As we continue to recover from the pandemic and expand our recognition of international vaccines, today’s announcements mark the next step in the resumption of our international travel.”
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The Red List and Quarantine System is critical to protecting our borders and, as we have said, we will not hesitate to take action by adding countries to the Red List.”
The UK government has also simplified travel rules for all under-18s coming to England. They will now be treated as fully vaccinated at the border and exempted from self-isolation requirements on arrival, day-8 testing and pre-departure testing.
If they test positive they will only need to take an post-arrival test and a confirmatory free PCR test.