With the Covid-19 pandemic raging across India, the country can consider itself a little lucky considering it has two locally made vaccines to fight the virus, even though the supply chain has been badly hit due to logistical issues. With Sputnik V, the only other vaccine approved for use in the country by the Government of India, most Indians rely on Covishield and Covaxin.
While Covishield is made by the Serum Institute of India in partnership with AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, Covaxin is an entirely native vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech of Hyderabad.
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Initially, Covishield was readily accepted by Indians based on simultaneous trials conducted in India and the UK. But Covaxin has undergone numerous tests due to the approval of the Indian government before the end of the test phase. As a result, Covaxin suffered from a lot of negative PR, despite subsequent surveys and research showing that it has a high percentage of effectiveness in fighting the viruses and covering all major strains.
To date, 1.9 Crore Indians have been treated with Covaxin while 16.7 Crore have received Covishield.
COVISHIELD VS COVAXIN
While Covaxin is used extensively across India, it has not yet been approved by the major nations that Indians frequently travel to, be it for education or work. Based on data from covid19.trackvaccines.org, Less than 10 nations have officially approved the Covaxin while most Countries only recognize Covishield as the required vaccine for passengers from India.
Indians who have taken the Covaxin bump may not be rejected by other countries, but there is a perception among Indian travelers to favor Covishield just because it is listed in officially approved vaccines in major countries.
However, those who stay in India prefer both Covishield and Covaxin alike. Of course, this does not mean that nations like the USA and Great Britain will no longer allow Covaxin in the future. It’s just that, for whatever reason, this process took longer than expected.
Covishield is not yet approved in the United States, but is in clinical trials. Covaxin has not been the subject of any study anywhere outside of India.
Many countries are now using “Vaccination records“The arriving passengers are checked for proof that the Covid-19 vaccinations failed. You must undergo the mandatory hotel quarantines directly from the airport for at least two weeks.
This has forced many to only look for Covishield vaccination sites on the CoWin portal. It mainly includes anxious students who want to reach their overseas dormitories for UG and PG programs, which usually start August through September. Given that hotel quarantines are insanely expensive, getting vaccinated by Covishield saves a lot of time and effort.
India Today spoke to some students who are planning to go abroad for advanced studies in the next few months. Krishna Prasad of Bangalore prepares to travel to Canada for his master and is desperate for a place to get Covishield vaccine. “I’m looking for Covishield vaccine slots as listed on the Approved Vaccine List on the Government of Canada website,” he said.
It is noteworthy that Covaxin is not mentioned in Canada’s list of approved vaccines.
In most countries like the UK and Ireland, Covishield is the only recognized, approved vaccine. in the IrelandPassengers from India must be vaccinated with Covishield so that they are exempt from all mandatory hotel quarantines.
Ashish Kumar from Mumbai plans to travel to Australia next month and he too is looking for a Covishield push as Australia does not yet recognize Covaxin. He doesn’t want any trouble or last minute trouble when he lands in Australia. “I think it makes sense to take the safer route to get an internationally known Covishield push. It’s easy when it comes to administrative needs. “
ALL VACCINES ARE NOT EQUAL FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
The idea of vaccination cards for travelers has been contested and rejected by many because it created a sense of inequality among international travelers. It has now done the same with vaccines.
The European Union only wants to allow people who have been vaccinated with vaccines in its list of approved vaccines. This may mean that in the future, those who buy recordings from Chinese manufacturers such as Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. are likely to be banned from entering EU countries.
It is important to note that until now China has only recognized recordings made in China and these have not yet been approved by the US or Western European nations.
Therefore, those who travel to China can make their lives easier when they receive a vaccine developed by Sinovac or Sinopharm. Chinese citizens traveling to Europe or the United States may have had a difficult time.
On the other hand the Nation of Iceland There are currently no Chinese or Russian vaccines as part of the approved list and therefore Chinese or Russian nationals cannot enter their country.
Countries like Australia and new Zealand Millions of Chinese tourists visit it every year. However, these two nations have yet to approve one of the vaccines made in China, which means great uncertainty for Chinese tourists.
It remains to be seen how things will change when there is a vaccination certificate requirement in every country and passengers insist on being vaccinated only with vaccines that are on the host country’s approved vaccine list. Or will nations come together to create a common vaccine list? Only time can tell.
(The author is a Singapore-based open source intelligence analyst.)
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