Australia has recognised the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII). In a statement to the media, Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday said Covishield will be treated as part of the “recognised vaccines” in Australia.
However, it was not yet clear if the recognition of the India-made vaccine would help Indian tourists and students visit Australia. According to a spokesperson from the Australian High Commission, vaccinated travellers would have to produce a vaccination certificate to enter Australia.
“Today, the TGA [Therapeutic Goods Administration] has published its initial assessment of the data on the protection offered by the Coronavac [Sinovac] and Covishield [AstraZeneca/SII] vaccines and has advised that these vaccines should be considered as ‘recognised vaccines’ for the purpose of determining incoming international travellers as being appropriately vaccinated,” said Mr. Morrison, emphasising that the latest announcement was aimed at reuniting Australian families and to welcome tourists back to Australia.
This announcement was likely to help Australian nationals who had taken Covishield doses and were expecting to travel to Australia, which had travel barriers at the moment. The government of Australia was committed to ensure that Australians who were “fully vaccinated” abroad could return home without unnecessary obstacles, the statement said.
“The recognition of these two additional vaccines is a major milestone towards more Australians vaccinated overseas getting home sooner,” said Mr. Morrison.
The announcement came a day after Mr. Morrison indicated that the status of Covishield in Australia was pending before the TGA.
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