Portugal excludes Indian AstraZeneca from approved vaccines

Portugal joined a list of European countries rejecting AstraZeneca’s Indian-made vaccine, placing on hold the holiday plans of millions of people worldwide.

Unless ready to be quarantined for 2 weeks, travelers vaccinated with AstraZeneca cannot enter the Southern European country, in a move that affects about five million Brits who took the Indian-made jab.

AstraZeneca’s Indian-made vaccine is not approved by EU regulators, despite it being a replica of the English version. Regulators say the factory where it is being made in India has not completed paperwork, including details on its production practices and quality control standards.

But some experts describe the EU move as ‘discriminatory and unscientific,’ particularly since the World Health Organization inspected and approved the factory, reported the AP.

“Vaccination with a vaccine that does not correspond to one centrally authorized in the EU, each Member State has the option to recognize it,” EU spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker told Health Policy Watch said last week.

While many countries recognized India’s AstraZeneca, including France, several others are excluding it from its approved list of vaccines, including Poland, Romania, Denmark and Italy.

The European Union introduced in June its digital COVID-19 certificate, allowing residents to move freely in the 27-nation bloc with vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency.

Yet country-specific regulations are keeping a large number of visitors, namely those from the US and UK uncertain about travel plans, as the global tourism industry strives after a recovery made difficult by rising COVID-19 cases and decentralized policies.