New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    EU preparing 'further countermeasures' to protect its interest, von der Leyen says    Saudi Arabia urges stronger global action to protect children in cyberspace at UN    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Saudi Arabia posts SR49.8 billion travel surplus in 2024 as visitor spending hits SR153.6 billion    911 emergency centers handle over 2.8 million calls in March    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



5 million British tourists may face EU travel ban over unapproved vaccine
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 02 - 07 - 2021

Five million UK residents could find themselves excluded from European holidays this summer due to a bureaucratic technicality.
The EU is now using a vaccine certification scheme known as the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC), which when scanned at airports and borders verifies the traveler's vaccination status and allows them to enter the country.
However, only those given a dose of vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will be allowed to use a EUDCC, a problem for some Brits who have been given AstraZeneca.
Over 70 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the UK, but 5 million of those are the version of AstraZeneca known as Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Covishield is chemically identical and provides equal protection to the AstraZeneca vaccine but is manufactured in India.
The revelation comes amid announcements that European countries are subjecting Brits to extra measures due to fears over the spread of the Delta variant. Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Mala have all added extra testing and quarantine measures for British travelers.
The Covishield version of the vaccine is still as effective as any other AstraZeneca jab, but this bureaucratic oversight could leave millions of fully vaccinated people unable to travel.
The EMA has not approved Covishield and, although the British government has used doses manufactured in India, UK and Europe under the same name, when presented on the digital NHS app in airports the brand will be unrecognized by the EUDCC gateway.
Those affected will have batch numbers 4120Z001, 4120Z002 and 4120Z003 on their patient card and NHS app.
What is the EUDCC?
The EU's Digital Covid Certificate gateway is a system that went live across the EU on Thursday (July 1), although some countries were already using the app in June. Countries who weren't ready for 1 July have until 12 August to gradually implement it.
Previously known as the digital green pass, the EUDCC consists of information about an individual's vaccination status, test results or recovery status from COVID-19.
Presented as a QR code, the traveler can choose to carry either a digital or paper certificate.
Talks are ongoing to integrate the US into the app. It is expected the NHS app for UK residents will also be recognized.
Airlines have warned that the EUDCC could cause chaos for travelers due to an uncoordinated approach by countries.
European Medicines Agency
The technicality, which could leave Brits stranded at airports, is due to the lack of approval from the EMA for Covishield. An application has never been made for approval of this vaccine by the EMA.
The EMA has approved Pfizer-BioNtech, Modern, Johnson & Johnson and Oxford-AstraZeneca manufactured in the UK and EU.
However, despite this, some countries have already said they will accept those vaccinated by Covishield.
Germany, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, Ireland, and non-EU countries Switzerland and Iceland have said they will accept tourists who've received the jab. — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.