'Taken up at highest levels': Adar Poonawalla on Covishield EU issue

New Delhi, June 28: Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla to Monday assured to take up the issue of Covishield-vaccinated Indians facing issues with travel to the European Union - in light of the EU's new 'vaccine passport' scheme at the highest level.

"I realise that a lot of Indians who have taken COVISHIELD are facing issues with travel to the E.U., I assure everyone, I have taken this up at the highest levels and hope to resolve this matter soon, both with regulators and at a diplomatic level with countries," Adar Poonawalla tweeted.

Adar Poonawalla's statement comes a day after the European Union excluded Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Green Pass, the document that allows easy travel to and within EU member states.

Reportedly, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) has already raised the matter with the EU drug regulator - the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

So far, The European Medicines Agency (EMA), has approved only four Covid-19 vaccines so far: Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech), Moderna, Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca), Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Interstingly, the EU's medical regulatory body has approved the AstraZeneca shot manufactured and sold in Europe as Vaxzervria, but omitted the version produced by the Serum Institute, as Covishield.

The digital green pass will work as a COVID-19 "vaccine passport" and would provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, holds a negative test result or has recovered from an infection.