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Every Travel Enthusiast In India Should Only Take This Vaccine

by Tania Tarafdar
Every Travel Enthusiast In India Should Only Take This Vaccine

With global travel on the horizon, vaccine passports are being given number one priority. Many airlines and countries are now relaxing travel rules for fully vaccinated travellers. And while you must be struggling to get inoculated, the choice of your vaccine could determine where you are allowed to go. In India, we could either choose to get the Covaxin or the Covishield. Besides, India just received its first consignment of 1.5 lakh Sputnik V vaccine doses from Russia. But if you are wondering which vaccine should you take to be eligible for international travel, here’s what you need to know.

You Should Be Vaccinated With An FDA-Authorised Vaccine To Travel Abroad

According to CDC, to be eligible to travel internationally, you should be fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 vaccine Covishield developed by pharma giant AstraZeneca received an Emergency Use Listing designation from the World Health Organization. This means that if you get shots of Covishield, you will be eligible to travel to other countries.

Also read: Is Travel Safe For Fully Vaccinated People? All You Need To Know

European Union To Accept Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson Shots For Vaccine Passports

Not all vaccines may qualify for vaccine passports. The European Union said it will only accept the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for its vaccine certificate plans as of now. This means that if you have not taken one of these vaccines, you may not be able to travel to popular European tourist destinations such as Portugal, Croatia, Spain, and Cyprus. That said, a few countries may decide to accept Russia’s Sputnik V too.

Also read: Do You Still Need An RT-PCR Test To Travel If You’re Vaccinated? Know The Latest Rules

Countries Are Not Recognising Chinese Vaccine Makers

Right now, the European Union is planning to allow people vaccinated with shots approved by their drug agency. This indirectly means that those who received shots from Chinese makers like Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. will likely be barred from entering Europe in the foreseeable future. China so far recognizes only Chinese-made shots, and its vaccines are not approved in the U.S. or Western Europe.

Also read: 6 Countries With Most Number Of Fully Vaccinated People Where It’s Safe To Travel

Conclusion: While, it is still unclear whether countries will accept both Covishield and Covaxin shots, it is imperative to keep travel in the backseat and get vaccinated right now as India fights the deadly wave of coronavirus. You can always take a booster shot later to be eligible to travel to most countries once normalcy returns.