UK says OK to India's Covishield after outrage, but...

After India’s warning of ‘reciprocal action’ if the UK did not revise its ‘discriminatory’ new travel policy, the UK has now announced that it recognises Covishield. However, Indians will still have to quarantine on arrival due to ‘certification’ issues.

RECAP: Under the UK's new guidelines, fully vaccinated Indians are required to undergo mandatory 10-day quarantine. The policy attracted much backlash, including racism allegations, from Indians all over the world. (Read more on this here.)

WHAT’S NEW: The UK government has updated its online guidance for fully vaccinated travellers to the UK: “Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines”, indicating that it now recognises India’s Covishield. However, India is still missing from the list of recognised public health bodies.

WHY: Indians will still need to undergo the mandatory 10-day quarantine because of a ‘certification’ issue with Covishield.

‘FAR MORE RELIABLE’: “India’s digital certification is far more reliable than other countries’ manual system. Is UK trying to make money on PCR tests?” tweeted Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

THE O: While outrage from Indians across the world has compelled the UK to recognise Covishield as a vaccine, it still needs to clarify what it calls a 'certification issue'.