Working with India on a phased approach: UK

Students queue up to get themselves inoculated with Covishield vaccine at a camp in Siliguri. Pic/AFP

The UK government has said that Covid-19 vaccine certification from all countries must meet a "minimum criteria" and that it is working with India on a "phased approach" to its international travel norms.

It follows Covishield, the Serum Institute of India manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, being added as eligible to an expanded UK travel advisory on Wednesday. But with India's vaccine certification not on a list of 18 approved countries, Indian travellers to the UK will continue to be treated as non-vaccinated and therefore required to quarantine for 10 days on arrival.

Following much confusion over this process, UK government sources said on Wednesday night that additions or changes to the approved country listings are being kept under "regular consideration", but there was no further clarity on the required criteria for approving a country's vaccine certification.

"As part of our recently expanded inbound vaccination policy, we recognise the following vaccines Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen (J&J), for the purposes of international travel. This now includes the formulations AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda," a UK government spokesperson said.

A woman reacts as she takes a jab of the vaccine in Mumbai. Pic/AFP

Post-Covid healthcare guidance released

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday released the National Comprehensive Guidelines on post-Covid management. The guidelines will provide complete post-Covid health care guidance for long term. These modules will help in building the capacity of the doctors, nurses, paramedics and community health workers.

SC lauds Centre's step to help kin of Covid deceased

The Supreme Court on Thursday appreciated the Centre's step to grant ex-gratia assistance to the kin of those who died due to Covid-19 saying it has to take judicial notice of the fact that what India has done, no other country has been able to do. "We are happy that something has been done to wipe the tears of many families," the apex court said.

India's new cases cross 30K-mark

With 31,923 new Covid cases registered in the last 24 hours, India's daily new cases on Thursday crossed the 30,000 mark yet again. With this, the total Coronavirus case tally in the country has increased to 3,35,63,421, according to the data updated by Union Health Ministry and Family Welfare on Thursday. However, the country witnessed slight dip in daily Covid-related deaths as 282 fatalities were registered.

3,35,63,421
Total no. of Coronavirus cases in india so far

4,46,050
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India so far

3,01,640
Total no. of active cases in India

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