African Union (AU) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have requested the European Commission to consider increasing mandatory access to those COVID-19 vaccines deemed suitable for global rollout through the EU-supported COVAX Facility.
The request came following the rejection of the vaccine donated to many African countries through the COVAX initiative by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), hence the issuance of European Union Digital COVID Certificate, called the Europe’s digital “green pass”.
European Union Digital COVID Certificate enables people who have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine approved by its medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), to travel freely within the bloc.
“The current applicability guidelines put at risk the equitable treatment of persons having received their vaccines in countries profiting from the EU-supported COVAX Facility, including the majority of African Union (AU) Member States,” the AU and Africa CDC said in a joint statement.
Many African countries received donation of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. But the pass only recognises AstraZeneca doses (branded Vaxzevria) made by EMA-approved manufacturers in Europe, US, South Korea and China — not those manufactured by the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India (branded Covishield).
Covishield has been supplied to many African countries.
“We are working closely with the EMA as they develop guidance to support opening of borders and relaxing restrictions, and this includes guidance on inclusion of Covishield as a recognised vaccine for immunisation passports,” CNN quoted an AstraZeneca spokesperson to have said.
