What does it mean for my holidays if I had the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine?
There is no shortage of hurdles for holidaymakers to overcome this summer. From expensive Covid tests to flickering traffic lights, securing a stress-free break overseas can seem like an impossible task. Now, another headache has emerged for up to five million Britons who unknowingly received a dose of the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine. Currently the jab, which was authorised in the UK in February, is not approved in Europe or recognised under the EUs new vaccine passport scheme. This means that even if you are fully vaccinated, certain European countries could deny you entry. While initially this was seen as more of a theoretical problem, The Telegraph has revealed that UK travellers have been barred from flights to Malta due to the country not recognising their vaccination status. A couple in their sixties said they were turned back at Manchester Airport early last Friday morning when they tried to board a flight to the country. Here we break down everything you need to know about travelling in Europe if you have received the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine. The Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Up to five million doses of this version of the vaccine have been administered in the UK and are identifiable by the vaccine batch numbers (4120Z001, 4120Z002, 4120Z003) included on recipients paper vaccine cards and in the Covid travel pass available via the NHS app. It looks like a large proportion of these doses were administered in March. The vaccine has been authorised by the World Health Organisation, but it is yet to be approved by the European Medicines Agency and so is not accepted by the EU vaccine passport scheme. A number of countries have indicated that the Indian-made jabs will not be recognised. This list includes France, Italy and Croatia, though Britons can still travel to certain places provided they have proof of a recent negative coronavirus test. Malta appears to be the first country to effectively ban travellers on this basis and its tourism authority has now updated its guidance to make clear that the Indian-manufactured AstraZeneca doses administered in the UK could not be used to enter the country. In response, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC: "The medicines agency, the MHRA, have been very clear that it doesn't matter whether the AstraZeneca that you have is made here or by the Serum Institute in India  it's absolutely the same product, it provides exactly the same certification and level of protection from the virus. "So we'll certainly speak to our Maltese colleagues to point all this out. Obviously, it's up to them what they do, but we'll be making the sort of scientific point in the strongest possible terms: there is no difference, we don't recognise any difference." While the jab is currently not recognised by the EU, some European countries have individually agreed to accept the jab. So far this list includes Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, plus non-EU states Iceland and Switzerland. The autonomous archipelago of Madeira has also said all worldwide vaccines would be accepted. Note that these countries also have individual rules on who can enter, regardless of vaccination status, which can change at any time. It depends where you are going. Malta is now only accepting fully vaccinated visitors so it would not be possible to show evidence of a negative test. Its the same story for mainland Portugal, where non-jabbed arrivals must quarantine for 14 days. However, countries such as Croatia and Italy are accepting proof of recent negative tests for entry. Be sure to check the Governments foreign travel advice before travel, as rules and requirements can change at short notice. As, of course, the UK recognises the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine, the scrapping of quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers returning from amber list countries will still apply to those who received this jab. The new rules come into effect from July 19. The timeline for approval is unclear. However, as the Government has insisted there is no difference between the shots produced in India and those manufactured in the UK, it is likely to be a case of when, not if. Professor Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), previously downplayed the issue as an administrative hurdle. Similarly, the Department of Health and Social Care insisted earlier this month that no Britons who had received the Indian-made jabs would be negatively impacted. A spokesperson said: All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS Covid Pass as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency has authorised this vaccine and were confident travel will not be affected.  However, holidaymakers' recent experiences with Malta clearly contradict this statement. It is not currently possible to get a third jab in the UK. This could change in autumn when a booster programme might be deployed. It is quite likely that affected recipients received one dose of the Indian-made vaccine and one dose of a UK-produced jab. In theory this could mean that travellers could have the required two doses of an approved vaccine if a booster programme is rolled out. However, the hope would be that the vaccine is recognised EU-wide before this point.