Covid-19: As WHO still undecided, Australia approves India’s Covaxin

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: As New Delhi awaits the World Health Organization (WHO)’s approval, Australia on Monday approved Covaxin, India’s first indigenously developed vaccine against the pandemic, giving an enormous boost to the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) campaign.

Now students and other travellers vaccinated with both Covaxin and Covishield will be allowed to travel to Australia, according to media reports.

In October, Australia had approved Covishield for travellers.

While Covishield, developed jointly by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, is manufactured under a license by the Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune, Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd, India’s top biotechnology company based in Hyderabad.

Australia has recognised Covaxin as an approved vaccine for all travellers aged 12 and above entering the country.

“This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia,” the Department of Health, Australia, said in a statement on Monday.

Australian health regulatory body, Theraupatic Goods’ Administration (TGA), has also approved BBIBP-CorV, manufactured by Sinopharm, China, for travellers aged between 18 and 60.

“In recent weeks, the TGA has got additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit Covid-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to it. The supporting information has been provided to the TGA from the vaccine sponsor and/or the WHO,” the statement said.

Recognition of Covaxin, and BBIBP-CorV, along with the previously announced recognition of Coronavac (manufactured by Sinovac, China) and Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of China and India, as well as other countries where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia, the statement added.

Those who have received two doses of a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine at least 14 days apart would be regarded as fully vaccinated from 7 days after the second dose (except for the Janssen vaccine, where they are regarded as fully vaccinated 7 days after the single dose).

This includes homologous (two doses of the same vaccine) and heterologous (two doses of two different TGA-approved or recognised vaccines) schedules.

Also, from November 1 2021, vaccinated Australians and permanent residents aged 12 and over could leave Australia without seeking travel exemption, the reports said.