Travellers fully vaccinated with Covaxin can enter US from Nov 8

The last-minute addition comes less than one week before the US launches its new travel system, granting entry to travellers who have received a vaccine that has been approved by the FDA or WHO.

Travellers fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with Covaxin have been given the green light to enter the US from November 8.

Talking to ANI over updating the approved travel list for Covaxin, CDC press officer, Scott Pauley said, "CDC's travel guidance applies to FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines and encompasses any new vaccines that may be added to either of those lists over time."

The last-minute addition comes less than one week before the US launches its new travel system, which grants entry to foreign travellers who have received a vaccine that has been approved for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or WHO.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Wednesday acknowledged the World Health Organisation's (WHO) granting emergency use listing (EUL) to India's indigenous vaccine Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech.

The WHO said in a tweet that the Technical Advisory Group, convened by World Health Organisation (WHO), has determined that the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against COVID-19.

"WHO has granted emergency use listing (EUL) to COVAXIN®[?] (developed by Bharat Biotech), adding to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated by WHO for the prevention of #COVID19," WHO said in a tweet.

The new US travel rules will also accept travellers fully vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Covaxin, developed by the Indian biotechnology company Bharat Biotech in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research, has a 78 per cent efficacy rate against COVID-19 and is "extremely suitable" for low- and middle-income countries because it is easy to store, according to WHO.