Covaxin not on WHO list yet, international travel for the vaccinated might get affected

Covaxin, one of the COVID-19 drugs in India, does not feature in the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for now. A number of countries are still to approve the vaccine as well. Thus, those vaccinated against COVID-19 by Covaxin might not be allowed to travel internationally till the time it gets approved; it is only approved by nine countries for now.
On the other hand, Covishield has been reportedly approved by 130 countries around the world.

The silver lining here is that a proposal regarding Covaxin has already been sent to WHO by Bharat Biotech; the guidance document by WHO shows that "more information is required" in the context. As of now, around 2 crore people have been vaccinated by Covaxin. WHO's approval will also mean that other countries in need of COVID-19 vaccination can also import the vaccine from India. As per the government, a number of countries have expressed interest in Covaxin.
It is learnt that Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla will work with Bharat Biotech in a bid to fasten the WHO approval process.

The impending approval by WHO might affect travel plans for a good number of Indians vaccinated by Covaxin. More so now as a number of countries, including those in Europe, are keen to restart travel and open borders to international tourists as well. It is expected that most of the countries will be following WHO's EUL list while opening their borders, the list that does not include Covaxin yet.