Covishield: 'No technical concern', says UK high commissioner after meeting with India | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Covishield: 'No technical concern', says UK high commissioner after meeting with India

By | Written by Poulomi Ghosh
Sep 23, 2021 04:04 PM IST

British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said the UK side had a meeting with National Health Authority CEO Dr RS Sharma on Thursday and neither side raised technical concerns with each other's certification process.

Covishield is recognised by the United Kingdom, but India's vaccine certificate is not yet. A UK government spokesperson earlier said that vaccine certification from all countries must meet the "minimum criteria taking into account public health and wider considerations". India and the UK are engaged in consultation regarding the acceptance of India's vaccine certificate in the United Kingdom.

The UK has not yet recognised India's vaccine certificates. (AP)
The UK has not yet recognised India's vaccine certificates. (AP)

British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said the UK side had a meeting with National Health Authority CEO Dr RS Sharma on Thursday and neither side raised technical concerns with each other's certification process. This indicates that the UK may soon announce recognition to Covishield certificates which means Indian travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield will no longer need to be quarantined upon their arrival in the UK. 

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What is the problem with Covishield and India's certificate?

Reports said that the UK side has no problem with Covishield, the vaccine, which is a formulation of Oxford and AstraZeneca's vaccine. The UK has a problem with the certification, reports said.

DR NK Arora, chairperson of India's national technical advisory group on immunisation, said India's certification process is robust. "I don't think they are talking about anything, pointing fingers at the certificate. I think they are talking beyond that, the whole process they are talking about. Because we in India, know that it is one of the best ways of giving certification," Dr Arora said.

Dr Arora also said that the Covishield vaccine, manufactured by India's Serum Institute, was exported back to the UK and were administers to UK people as well.

What other digital vaccine certificates look like

EU digital covid certificates are of three types-- vaccination certificates, test certificates and recovery certificates. They serve as digital proof that a person has either been vaccinated against Covid-19, received a negative test result or recovered from Covid-19. An EU digital Covid certificate contains name, date of birth, the date of issue, information about the vaccine and a unique identifier number. 

The National Health Service of the United Kingdom has a Covid pass letter system that shows whether one is vaccinated or not. According to the NHS website, the Covid pass shows only the vaccination record or test results and no other personal health records.

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