SII reaches out to govt, seeks help for adding Covishield in EU vaccination passport list

New Delhi, June 29: Serum Institute of India said non-inclusion of Covishield in the EU Covid-19 Vaccination Passport with the EU and other countries will affect students and business travellers, and disrupt the Indian and global economy.

Serum Institute of India (SII) has urged the government to take up inclusion of Covishield in the EU Covid-19 Vaccination Passport with the European Union and other countries, saying if not done it will affect students and business travellers, and disrupt the Indian and global economy. Only four vaccines Comirnaty of Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Vaxzervria by AstraZeneca-Oxford and, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Only those inoculated with these vaccines will be given vaccination passports and allowed to travel within the EU during the pandemic.

"India has a large population. However, not including Covishield in the EU Covid-19 Vaccination Passport will not allow Covishield vaccinated people to travel to European countries and this will affect students, business travellers back and forth, and cause severe disruptions to our economy and to the global economy," a source quoted Adar C Poonawalla, CEO of SII, as having communicated in a letter to external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

Sources said referring to Poonawalla's letter, the director of government and regulatory affairs at SII, Prakash Kumar Singh, has also sought Jaishankar's intervention at the highest level.