Vikrant Shekhawat : Nov 09, 2021, 08:00 PM
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said that 96 countries have agreed to Mutual Acceptance of Vaccination Certificates amid worldwide acceptance of India’s vaccines and the country’s vaccination process.“Reflecting worldwide acceptance of India’s vaccines and our vaccination process, 96 countries have agreed to Mutual Acceptance of Vaccination Certificates,”: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, as quoted in an official statement.As per a statement by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated that the Union Government continues to be in communication with the rest of the world so that beneficiaries of the world’s largest COVID vaccination program are accepted and recognised, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes.Meanwhile, talking about the nation’s COVID vaccination drive, the Union Health Minister said: “Over 109 crore doses have been administered so far in the country. Under ‘Har ghar dastak’, healthcare workers are going to all houses to carry out the vaccination drive. 96 countries have recognised Covaxin and Covishield. You can see the list via the CoWIN app”.“WHO has included eight vaccines in EUL (emergency use listing) so far. We are happy that two out of these are Indian vaccines - Covaxin and Covishield. 96 countries of the world have recognised both these vaccines, following this,” Mansukh Mandaviya added, as quoted by news agency ANI.According to the health ministry statement, the 96 countries that have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccination certificates include United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia, Ireland, Spain, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Brazil, Nepal, Iran, Egypt, Australia, and many more.“Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Ministry of External Affairs is in continuous communication with all countries for mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, and WHO and nationally approved vaccines to facilitate hassle-free international travel across countries,” the statement assured.Meanwhile, those who wish to travel abroad can download the international travel vaccination certificate from the CoWIN portal.