UK to add Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin to approved vaccine list from November 22

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will be added to UK government’s list of approved COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers from November 22. This comes after Covaxin gets emergency use approval from World Health Organisation (WHO) last week. The changes will come into effect at 4 am on November 22.

After the emergency approval of Covaxin by WHO, more good news graces international travelers in India as the UK government is all set to approve the Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine for its vaccine list for international travelers from November 22.

This means that the Indians who have been vaccinated with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will not have to undergo the quarantine period upon arrival in the country. Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, was added to the UK’s approved list last month.

Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, announced the news on Twitter, and said, “More good news for Indian travelers to the UK. From 22 November travelers fully vaccinated with a COVID19 vaccine recognised by WHO for Emergency Use Listing, including Covaxin, will not have to self-isolate; so joining those fully vaccinated with Covishield.”

The changes in the official vaccine list of the UK for international travelers will come into effect from 4 am on November 22. This comes just a few weeks after the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved the emergency usage listing of Covaxin, after months of reviewing data.

The UK government will also be recognizing China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines as approved COVID-19 jabs for inbound travelers from November 22. Both the vaccines have already been approved by WHO for emergency use listing a while back.

The approval of Covaxin, Sinovac, and Sinopharm will facilitate travelers headed to the UK from India, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia. Passengers who are fully vaccinated with these shots will not be required to take a pre-departure test, day-8 test, or self-isolate upon arrival.

The travel rules in the UK have been further relaxed as the number of COVID-19 cases is reducing each day. Now, all the people under the age of 18 years going to the UK will be treated as fully vaccinated and will be exempted from taking the pre-departure test, self-isolation, and the day-8 test.