Covishield: Seven EU countries approve India's Covid vaccines

Seven EU countries have approved India's vaccines for arriving travellers, sources told the BBC.

Covishield is now eligible for travel to Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Ireland and Spain.

Iceland and Switzerland too have made the jab eligible for travel to the countries, sources said.

Separately, Estonia has confirmed that it will recognise all the vaccines authorised by India for incoming travellers, sources said.

Earlier, sources told the BBC that India would not recognise a EU vaccine pass for travellers unless the bloc does the same for India's own vaccine certificate.

The move had come amid reports that Covishield was not yet eligible for EU's digital green certificate set to launch on Thursday. The certificate is currently for EU citizens only.

Covishield is the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria jab, which has been authorised in the EU.

The vaccines currently eligible for the green pass have all been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

A source in India's external affairs ministry earlier said India had requested EU states to individually consider extending the exemption to people who had taken Covid-19 vaccines in India - Covishield and Covaxin - and "accept the vaccination certificate" issued by the government.

India had conveyed to EU states that Delhi would "institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU digital Covid certificate," the source said.

"Right now, our understanding is that this certificate is meant for travel within the EU. But it could become the norm for all international travel. Nothing changes currently because most international travel is suspended. These certificates will become important when all travel resumes. We are saying, we will accept each other's certificates reciprocally. Why are you discriminating against our certification?," one of the sources said.

The pass will help do away with the need for quarantines or further testing for travellers between the EU's 27 countries and four associated European nations - Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Covishield was listed for emergency use by the WHO in February.

India has so far overwhelmingly administered Covishield jabs - they account for more than 290 million of the 350 or so million vaccinations given so far.

With the total case tally of more than 30 million, India is now only behind the United States which has reported over 34 million cases. The number of daily cases has come down to less than 40,000 from the peaks of 400,000 in May. But experts have warned that the threat of a possible third wave still looms.

The country has officially recorded close to 400,000 deaths - behind the US and Brazil.

Only 4.6% of the people have been fully vaccinated and 21% have received one dose since the beginning of the drive in January.