UK to add Sinovac, Sinopharm, Covaxin to approved vaccine list

By Hasan Esen

LONDON (AA) - The UK will add China's Sinovac and Sinopharm and India's Covaxin vaccines to the country's approved list of COVID vaccines for inbound travel, the government announced Monday.

"From 4am Monday 22 November, COVID-19 vaccines on the WHO EUL will be recognized and all under-18s coming to England will be treated as fully vaccinated at the border," it said in a statement.

In the UK, passengers who have been fully vaccinated and have received their vaccine certificate from one of over 135 approved countries and territories are not required to take a pre-departure test, day 8 test or self-isolate upon arrival.

Instead, passengers will just need to pay for a lateral flow test to take before the end of their second day, post-arrival.

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the new announcement is a step forward for the travel industry, businesses and for family and friends seeking to reunite or go abroad.

"The red list and quarantine system remain vital in protecting our borders, and as we’ve said, we will not hesitate to take action by adding countries to the red list if necessary," he added.