India called for a “constructive solution” to the problems faced by students whose plans to travel to the United States to start classes in the fall have been hampered by the lack of uniform vaccination requirements.
This week, the US embassy began scheduling visa interviews for Indian students, and officials have stated that applicants will not be required to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination in order to enter the US. A negative Covid-19 test taken three days prior to departure is all that is required of students.
Thousands of students have secured visa appointments for July and August, but some American educational institutions are requesting that applicants who received the Covaxin or Sputnik V vaccines be re-vaccinated because these vaccines are not recognised by US authorities.
“There is no uniformity in the requirements,” said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the external affairs ministry, when asked about these issues at a weekly news briefing. Vaccination is not a requirement for our students to travel, according to the US government.”
He claimed that there were “multiple conversations” going on between Indian students and US universities. “Of course, we would support our students. “I believe that everyone concerned is concerned about ensuring that students are able to attend regular classes at universities, and we hope that a constructive solution is found,” he added.
The two main vaccines used in India’s vaccination programme are Covaxin and Covishield. The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted Covishield, an AstraZeneca vaccine made in India, an emergency use listing, and it is accepted under the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for foreign travel.
While ruling out the possibility of India issuing a “vaccine passport” at this time, Bagchi believes that global discussions on the issue should take place in the context of vaccines becoming more widely available.
“There is an ongoing global debate on this issue of so-called vaccine passports. We feel this has to be linked to the larger issue of vaccine equity, given that many developing countries have not yet been able to vaccinate a large percentage of their population,” he said.
“We would favour discussions on the subject of vaccine passports with greater focus on vaccine equity. I don’t have any information about India issuing any vaccine passport,” he said.
