Not Received Covishield Approval Request, Says EU Medical Body

The European Medicine Agency has not received a request for the approval of Covishield  in the COVID-19 'vaccination passport' with the European Union, EU said today amid concerns among Covishield-vaccinated Indians facing issues with travel to Europe. The European Union does not yet recognise the India-made version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine. It said temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU are in place from many countries, including India, due to the pandemic. "Concerning a possible EMA authorisation for Covishield, as of yesterday, the European Medicine Agency (EMA) stated that it had not received  a request for approval. It will examine any such request when received, as per its procedures," the EU said in a statement. Serum Institute of India, that manufactures Covishield had requested the government to take up the issue of the vaccine's inclusion in the EU 'vaccination passport', sources said.