Relief for Indians as Canada to recognise Covaxin from Nov 30

Relief for Indians as Canada to recognise Covaxin from Nov 30

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi  21.11.2021

: In a big relief to travellers from India, Canada will recognise Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin from November 30. It has expanded its list of WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccines that will be accepted for travel to and within Canada from the month-end by adding Sinopharm (also referred to as Covilo), Sinovac (also referred to as Coronavac) and the made-in-India Covaxin.

Travellers will qualify as fully vaccinated if they have received at least two doses of a government of Canada-accepted Covid-19 vaccine or a mix of two accepted vaccines, or at least one dose of Janssen/ Johnson & Johnson vaccine, at least 14 full days prior to entering Canada.

A leading travel agent said given the vastly improved Covid situation in India, all eyes are now on when Canada allows direct flights from more Indian cities. Presently, only fully vaccinated travellers who get a test done at Delhi Airport lab are allowed to board direct flights from IGI Airport.

Travellers also keenly await for Canada to remove the requirement of a person flying from India to Canada via a third country requiring a negative report from a Covid test done in that transit country.

“Once these two restrictions are removed, we can expect travel — and fares — to resume to near normalcy. Today any person eligible to travel from India to Canada has to do so via Delhi,” the travel agent said.

A Canadian government statement issued on November 19 read: “Starting November 30, vaccination will be required for travel within and out of Canada. A valid Covid-19 molecular test will no longer be accepted as an alternative to vaccination unless travellers are eligible for one of the limited exemptions, such as a medical inability to be vaccinated. Travellers should contact their airline or railway company to obtain the necessary form and submit it in accordance with their carrier’s approval process as of November 30.”

Now, anyone can check an individual’s Covid-19 vax status on CoWin portal

The Union health ministry has activated a service on the CoWin portal that allows anyone to check an individual’s vaccination status with the person’s registered mobile number and name, followed by an OTP for consent.

The service could be utilised by a service provider — private entities such as travel agencies, offices, employers, entertainment agencies or government agencies such as IRCTC — for whom verifying a person’s vaccination status is critical for facilitating a service requested by the citizen, an official said.

“Now download the fully / partially vaccinated badge from CoWIN (cowin.gov.in) & share it with your friends on all your social platforms! Encourage your family and friends to follow you and #FightCovid,” National Health Authority CEO R S Sharma said in a tweet.

The service helps in verifying the vaccination status of individuals. The service can be utilised by travel agencies and help making travel safe for individuals by allowing travel only for vaccinated individuals. PTI