Question : Foreign Travel Restrictions for Covaxin Users

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state

(a) The total number of COVID-19 deaths that have occurred between January 2021 to May 2021 post vaccination, State/UT-wise;

(b) whether the World Health Organization (WHO) has also included Covaxin with Covishield in vaccination distribution programme, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has noted that those vaccinated with Covaxin are facing difficulty due to non-approval of WHO and unable to go abroad or are banned to visit many foreign countries for employment or other purposes particularly in European countries, if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has approached the WHO in this regard; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken/ interventions made by the Government to resolve the issue including travel ban through diplomatic interventions?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(DR. BHARTI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (e): Till 26th July 2021, causality assessment for 179 serious and severe AEFI cases has been approved by the National AEFI Committee of which only one death case from Maharashtra was found to be associated with COVID 19 vaccine. This was a case of anaphylaxis which can occur with any medicinal product including vaccines and can be fatal.
Covaxin at present is not part of WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and is not yet included in the list of approved vaccines for the COVAX vaccine distribution programme. All documents required for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) have been submitted by Bharat Biotech International Ltd. (BBIL) to WHO as of 9th July 2021. WHO will examine the technical data provided by BBIL for taking a final decision on the issue.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic normal international travel services remain suspended. International air travel is taking place through special arrangements, including air bubble and Vande Bharat Mission. Such travel is not directly linked to the possession of vaccination certificates. Further, at present, there is no multilateral protocol on the travel of COVID-19 vaccinated people. Most countries require a negative COVID-19 test report, along with compliance with country specific COVID protocols.
While there have been multilateral discussions, including under the framework of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), regarding COVID-19 vaccination certificates, no multilateral arrangements in this regard have been reached so far.
India has been part of ongoing discussion to ensure that Indian manufactured vaccines are recognized in any multilateral arrangement. India is also engaging with countries for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.