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The Russian vaccine is not approved in the EU, nor is it on the WHO list. In other words, a certificate of vaccination with that preparation in a third country cannot
Once the official European passport of vaccinationOn Thursday, July 1, this document, which could facilitate travel within the European Union, can be obtained only people who have been vaccinated with one of the four approved immunizing preparations for use in the community block.
The European Union has so far approved the application of the vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca y Johnson & Johnson, but not the Russian Sputnik V or the Chinese Sinovac and Sinopharm.
But the proposal adds that member states have the option of also accepting vaccination certificates issued in relation to other vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Watch out for Ecuadorian travelers
In this case, Sinovac and Sinopharm, which have been administered in several Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, were approved for emergency use by the WHO.
The consulate of Spain in Quito has assured that your country does accept travelers from Ecuador that prove to be vaccinated at least 14 days before, either with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines, which are the ones applied so far in Ecuador.
EXPANSION (1/5) Current regulations allow entry to #Spain to travelers coming from #Ecuador that prove to be vaccinated at least 14 days before with the complete vaccine regimen approved by @EMA_News O @WHO (Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, Janssen, Sinopharma and Sinovac pic.twitter.com/Se5GBS0Dsa
– ConsuladoEspañaQuito (@ConsEspQuito) June 9, 2021
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However, the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, applied mainly in Argentina and Mexico, has not yet been regulated by the multilateral body. Despite this, countries such as Greece contemplate it within their plan to enter the country.
Here you can consult by country the travel information to the countries of the European Union.
The African Union referred to possible discrimination against African travelers. In India, the producer of the AstraZeneca preparation, the “Serum Institute of India”, is striving for speedy approval from the EMA. However, both facts are exaggerated, since in the EU not a single vaccination passport nor an approval of the vaccination with “Covishield”.
Lottery for travelers from third countries
Any person vaccinated outside the EU with “Covishield” can enter the EU, since the member countries of the bloc can, according to current regulations, recognize any vaccine that has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) as necessary for entry. According to Deutsche Welle this was confirmed by the spokesman of the European Commission, Adalbert Jahnz, in Brussels: “That can be applied to other vaccines that are on the WHO list.”
Not only do the four vaccines used in Europe appear on this WHO list, but also “Covishield” and the version of AstraZeneca produced in South Korea, called “SK Bio”. The WHO also recognizes the vaccines “Sinopharm” and “Sinovac”, from China, and various variations of the preparations from BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). These vaccines can be registered on the WHO yellow vaccination card, but they are not approved worldwide for use, they only have regional licenses.
Christian Wigand: “We get a lot of inquiries from all over the world.”
Can everything be, nothing has to be?
“There is the possibility that people from third countries obtain an EU vaccination certificate if they can verify that they have been vaccinated with a preparation that appears on the WHO list, which is relevant to the EU Member State to which they are traveling. ”, Said Christian Wigand, from the European Commission.
The 27 EU member countries therefore have the possibility of accepting preparations from the WHO list and issuing a vaccination passport. They can do it, but they are not required to do so. This EU regulation is a recommendation, not a law.
In order to Travelers from Asia, South America or Africa do not need an EU vaccination passport, but only with a certificate from the country of origin that is recognized in the country you want to enter. In other words, it may be that, for example, an Indian citizen vaccinated with “Covishield” can enter Cyprus, but not Germany.
Confusing rules
The European Commission admits that these rules are difficult to understand and that the border and administrative authorities of the Member States must clarify their interpretation. For this reason, three EU commissioners today wrote a letter to the 27 governments of the bloc so that, as far as possible, they unify the rules of the “Entry Recommendations” and take fewer measures alone.
Not a second-class vaccine: Covishield in Kenya, distributed by the UN vaccination initiative Covax.
The European COVID-19 vaccination certificate was approved by the European Parliament
Sputnik V is not recognized by the EU or the WHO
The Russian vaccine is not approved in the EU, nor is it on the WHO list. In other words, a certificate of vaccination with this preparation in a third country cannot be presented to enter an EU country.
What other vaccines are or are not allowed in the EU?
The confusion is not only around vaccines AstraZeneca from India, distributed in more than 100 countries through the Covax initiative, but also with regard to serum BioNTech-Pfizer, developed in Germany. In Europe only the BioNTech-Pfizer brand “Comirnaty” is recognized, used in Europe. In Canada, for example, BioNTech-Pfizer’s vaccine is registered under that name on the vaccination certificate, not as “Comirnaty,” which is misleading and represents a bureaucratic dead end.
Citizens of the United States do not have that problem: the United States is, meanwhile, on the EU “green list”. To enter the EU, Americans only need a negative PCR test. It is not necessary to carry a vaccination certificate, but it can be shown if you prefer. However, the US only rarely allows vaccinated Europeans to enter.
AstraZeneca’s European Vaxzeria vaccine is exported to various parts of the world, including Canada, Great Britain, Mexico and Chile. People who have received such a vaccine can even obtain an electronic vaccination passport in the EU country they want to enter. The question is whether this can be demonstrated, and how, if the exact name of “Vaxzeria” does not appear on the national vaccination certificate.
What about the Balkans?
The European Commission announced last week that it would respond as quickly as possible to all questions related to the validation of vaccines in the entry of travelers. “We have to check for which countries entry will be possible,” said Christian Wigand, from the EC, in Brussels. Multiple inquiries come from the Western Baltic countries because many there have relatives in the EU.
According to Deustche Welle, the EU is still prohibited from entering tourists from most countries in the world, whether they are vaccinated or not.. But it is planned to lift those restrictions as soon as possible, as the pandemic develops in the countries of origin, as decided by the EU. Britain, which no longer belongs to the European Union, follows another path: to join, even those vaccinated must, without exception, present a negative test for COVID-19 and quarantine, regardless of what vaccine they received. (I)
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