Visitors with non-EU approved jabs allowed in Madeira
pharmafile | July 5, 2021 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â COVID-19, EU, Vaccine, travelÂ
Popular holiday destination, the Portuguese islands of Madeira, have announced that they will allow visitors with any COVID-19 vaccine, even those not approved by the EU.
The regional government of the islands made the announcement on Sunday, with Pedro Ramos, Madeira’s health secretary saying all would be accepted “because if millions have been vaccinated with these vaccines (not approved by the EU), their level of protection is similar to others”.
The EU has recently launched its digital COVID certificate, which only includes four authorised vaccines: those of Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson.
The aim of the certificate is to allow citizens to travel more freely across the bloc if they have been fully vaccinated with one of the four approved shots, received a recent negative test result or have immunity due to recent recovery.
Member states can also decide to extend the certificate to European travellers vaccinated with other shots.
In mainland Portugal only the four approved EU vaccines have been authorised, but Madeira is an autonomous region and therefore has the power to decide for itself who can be allowed entry.
This comes amid mid criticism over the EU not including Covishield, a version of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine made by Serum Institute in India, on a list of approved vaccines for the certificate.
About 5 million people in Britain, an important source of foreign tourism for Madeira, are thought to have had the Covishield vaccine, which is also used by the global COVAX facility.
Kat Jenkins
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