At G7, India raises concerns over vaccine passports

New Delhi, June 05: India has opposed firmly the adoption of COVID-19 passports at the G7 meeting of health ministers and said that such an initiative could prove hugely discriminatory in nature.

"At this stage of the pandemic, it is pertinent to also discuss about India's concern over the idea of a vaccine passport. Considering the fact of lower levels of vaccination in developing countries in contrast to the developed countries and still unaddressed issues related to equitable and affordable access, supply and distribution of safe and effective vaccines, India would propose that implementation of vaccine passports will be hugely discriminatory and disadvantageous to the developing countries," India's health minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said.

"India would suggest that the same should be implemented duly taking into consideration emerging evidence on the efficacy of vaccines and under the overarching coordination of WHO duly attending to the anomaly of access and affordability as it exists today," Dr. Vardhan also said.

The G7 health ministers meeting in Britain agreed to step up coordination against future pandemics and other threats. It however made no new commitments to speed up vaccine deliveries to less developed nations.