Wednesday 14 July 2021
Following media coverage earlier in July that some EU countries have stated that they will not accept travellers who have been vaccinated using Covishield, we have engaged with the UK's Department for Health and Social Care to get confirmation on the current position and how this may impact Bailiwick residents.
It has been confirmed that no Covishield vaccines have been administered in the UK. All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK (and therefore in the Bailiwick of Guernsey) are the same product. In the UK they are detailed on the NHS COVID Pass as Vaxzevria (this was previously known as COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca). The European Medicines Agency has authorised this vaccine and the UK are confident that travel will not be affected. The EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate is currently for EU citizens only, or third country nationals legally staying or resident in the EU. The UK has confirmed that ensuring safe and open travel with our global partners is a clear priority and that they are engaging the European Commission on certification.
All AstraZeneca vaccines deployed in Bailiwick are supplied through UK supply chains and have been subject to rigorous safety and quality checks, including individual batch testing and physical site inspections, by the medicine's regulator, the MHRA.
Background
- The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures both Vaxzevria and Covishield - both branded vaccines are exactly the same COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. All SII-made doses approved by the MHRA and administered in the UK were branded as the 'COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca' which is now known commercially as 'Vaxzeria'- the MHRA has not approved doses branded as 'Covishield' and none were in administered in the UK.
- MHRA confirm all vaccines authorised and deployed in the UK have been subject to rigorous checks, including individual batch testing and site inspections, even where those sites are outside the UK. This data has been shared with the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
