UK recognises Covaxin as valid Covid-19 vaccine for travel from today

Travellers, vaccinated with Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, will now be able to travel any part of the United Kingdom as the country has included the vaccine in its approved list today, November 22. This means those inoculated with the Covaxin, one of the two major Covid-19 vaccines used in India, will not have to self-isolate after arrival in England.

In October, the UK had added India's Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on its approved list.

Earlier this month, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis had tweeted that the UK would recognise Covaxin as a valid Covid-19 vaccine for travel from November 22. Ellis wrote, "More good news for Indian travellers to Great Britain. From 22 November travellers fully vaccinated with a Covid-19 vaccine recognised by the WHO for Emergency Use Listing, including Covaxin, will not have to self-isolate; so joining those fully vaccinated with Covishield".

The UK approved the Made in India vaccine for smoother travel after the UN body, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an emergency-use listing for Covaxin on November 3. Apart from Covaxin, the UK government has also added China's Sinovac and Sinopharm to its approved list of coronavirus vaccines.