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LONDON (AP) – After Dr Ifeanyi Nsofor and his wife received two doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in Nigeria, they assumed they would be free to travel this summer to a European destination of their choice.
They were wrong.
The couple – and millions of others vaccinated through a WHO-backed effort – could be barred from entering many European and other countries because those countries do not recognize the Indian version of the vaccine for travel.
Although the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Europe has been cleared by the mainland’s drug regulatory agency, the same vaccine made in India has not been given the green light.
EU regulators said AstraZeneca failed to complete the necessary paperwork on the Indian plant, including details of its production practices and quality control standards.
But some experts describe the EU decision as discriminatory and unscientific, pointing out that the World Health Organization inspected and approved the plant.
Health officials say the situation will not only complicate travel and frustrate fragile economies, but also undermine confidence in vaccines by appearing to label some substandard vaccines.
As vaccine coverage increases in Europe and other wealthy countries, authorities anxious to save the summer tourist season are increasingly relaxing border restrictions against coronaviruses.
Earlier this month, the European Union presented its COVID-19 digital certificate, which allows EU residents to move freely within the block of 27 countries as long as they have been vaccinated with one of the four vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency, have a new negative test or have proof that they have recently recovered from the virus.
While the United States and Britain remain largely closed to outside visitors, the EU certificate is seen as a potential travel model in the COVID-19 era and a way to boost economies.
Vaccines officially approved by the EU also include those manufactured by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
They do not include the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India and many other vaccines used in developing countries, including those made in China and Russia.
Different EU countries are free to apply their own rules for travelers from inside and outside the bloc, and their rules vary widely, creating additional confusion for tourists.
Several EU countries, including Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, allow people to enter if they have received vaccines not approved by the EU; several others, including France and Italy, do not.
For Nsofor, the realization that he could be banned was “a rude awakening”.
After a difficult year working during the pandemic in Abuja, Nsofor and his wife were eagerly awaiting a European vacation with their two young daughters, perhaps admiring the Eiffel Tower in Paris or visiting Salzburg in Austria.
Nsofor noted that the Indian-made vaccine he received had been cleared by WHO for emergency use and was supplied through COVAX, the WHO-supported program to deliver vaccines to corners. the poorest in the world. The WHO approval included a visit to the Serum Institute of India factory to ensure it had good manufacturing practices and quality control standards were met.
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