What is the Covishield jab and why could it pose a travel problem?
Reports have emerged that the EU Covid vaccine passport scheme will not accept people who have received a specific dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India. However, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that he is "very confident" that this will "not prove to be a problem" for UK holiday makers who have received the jab, known as the Covishield dose in India. The Covishield jab is just an AstraZeneca vaccine made in India. It is sometimes referred to as the Covishield jab because that is what it is branded as in India, but the two are identical. If you have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK, it is possible it was a Covishield branded dose, with 5-million doses in total being shipped from India to the UK. The vaccines contain "exactly the same stuff" according to vaccine expert Professor Adam Finn. You can check your paper card that you received after being vaccinated. If it reads batch 4120Z001, 4120Z002 or 4120Z003, you will have received a Covishield dose. According to the Daily Telegraph, the EU does not recognise the Covishield brand of the AstraZeneca vaccine because it has not yet been authorised by the European regulator. It comes as the EU's vaccine passport scheme is being rolled out across Europe, with travellers in possession of a vaccine passport proving they are double vaccinated exempt from quarantine measures. Although the Covishield vaccine has not been approved by European regulators, it has been approved for emergency use by the WHO. EU countries can make their own decision about whether to allow access to travellers who have had the Covishield vaccine, with several countries already approving the vaccine for travel. These countries include Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Iceland and Switzerland. No, the UK is not part of the EU vaccine passport scheme. The UK has its own NHS app for proof of vaccination, but the EU does not currently accept this certification. However, like with the Covishield jab, independent countries including Spain and Greece do accept the NHS app as proof.