Covaxin, India’s vaccine for COVID-19 produced by Bharat BioTech, is now recognised in Australia.
This is welcome news for India’s international students who have been lobbying to return to Australia to resume their studies. Many of them have been vaccinated fully for months now, in anticipation of the Australian government’s announcement. Covaxin has been the most easily available vaccine for them in India.
The announcement, made today by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, will also be welcomed by scores of families waiting to be reunited here.
Travellers over the age of 12, who are fully vaccinated, will now be able to travel to Australia.
The news comes as we are greeted today, 1 Nov, with visuals of emotional airport reunions, of travellers arriving in Australia under eased conditions, with no quarantine required.
The return to normalcy, it would seem, is now on fast-track.
The other Indian-made vaccine Covishield (AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India) had been declared as recognised early in October.
Besides Covaxin, China’s BBIBP-CorV (manufactured by Sinopharm) is the other vaccine announced today as recognised by the TGA. Those vaccinated with this vaccine, aged18 to 60, will now be able to travel to Australia.
The TGA said today in a statement, it “has obtained additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit COVID-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to COVID-19. The supporting information has been provided to the TGA from the vaccine sponsor and/or the World Health Organisation.”
It added, “This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia.”
Starting today, vaccinated citizens and permanent residents aged 12 and over are able to depart Australia without the need to seek a travel exemption.
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