Bharat Biotech joint MD Suchitra Ella on Tuesday said the choice of vaccine should not become a barrier to enter any country. She was commenting on the controversial Covid-19 travel rules of the UK which refused to recognise Covishield beneficiaries as 'vaccinated'.
After a backlash across India, the UK on Wednesday issued a change in its advisory, saying it will recognise Covishield, a jab developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
Ella said India's vaccines "will prove yet again that they are world class”. In a tweet, she added that India has supplied billions of doses across the globe.
Our vaccines will prove yet again , are world class. india supply’s billions of doses of many vaccines world over. Covid 19 taught us enuf life lessons, vaccines must not be entry barriers for nations, when NRA approved & licensed.🇮🇳crossed 800 Mn doses, no small achievement💉👏🏼 https://t.co/hoSygtW99E
— suchitra ella (@SuchitraElla) September 20, 2021
The UK rules were deemed racist by many as Covishield vaccine, widely used in India's vaccination drive, is a version of the UK's Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Those who have gotten the full course of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines from a relevant public health body in Australia, Antigua, and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan will be considered fully vaccinated in the country. India is expected to be added to this list after revision.