Australia adds India's Covaxin to its list of approved COVID-19 vaccines

The Australian government on Monday recognised India's Covaxin, a vaccine against the coronavirus. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Oxford University's Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India.

Australia has already recognised Covishield.

Australia's medicines and medical devices regulator TGA said in a tweet:

This recognition is for travellers aged 12 and over who have been vaccinated with Covaxin and those 18 to 60 who have been vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV, manufactured by Sinopharm, China.

In recent weeks, the TGA 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.

Australia's High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell AO said on Twitter:

"The recognition of Covaxin, and BBIBP-CorV, along with the previously announced recognition of Coronavac (manufactured by Sinovac, China) and Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of China and India as well as other countries in our region where these vaccines have been widely deployed will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia. This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia," according to a release by the Australian government.

In addition, with input from the TGA, ATAGI have determined that those who have received two doses of a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine at least 14 days apart are regarded as fully vaccinated from seven days after the second dose (with the exception of Janssen vaccine, where they are regarded as fully vaccinated seven days after the single dose). This includes homologous (two doses of the same vaccine) and heterologous (two doses of two different TGA-approved or recognised vaccines) schedules.

With inputs from PTI