UK citizens vaccinated with India-made AstraZeneca vaccine get permission to enter Malta

The United Kingdom government has claimed that it has managed to get the authorities of Malta to permit travellers from the UK who have been vaccinated with doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine made in India. This comes after a British couple was reportedly stopped from boarding a plane to Malta as they had been jabbed with vaccines made in India. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the change on Twitter, saying that all vaccines had gone through “rigorous safety and quality checks”.

Malta amends rules regarding vaccine

The Transport Secretary stated that the Maltese authorities have amended their travel advice, so anyone who has an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK regardless of the manufacture location can travel. On July 14, Shapps told BBC Breakfast that the UK's medicine agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, have been very clear that it doesn’t matter whether the AstraZeneca is made. He added that they are all same products and provide some level of protection against COVID-19. His comment came after a UK couple were barred from boarding a plane to Malta because they had been jabbed with an AstraZeneca vaccine developed by Serum Institute in India. The couple revealed that the airline told them that the vaccine was not recognised by Maltese authorities.

The couple named Steve and Glenda Hardy, from Hull, said that they were "gutted" after they were stopped from checking in at Manchester Airport on Friday. Glenda Hardy told BBC News that they were trying fourth time in a year to visit their son who lives on the Mediterranean Island. They told the news outlet that previously it was due to lockdown and this time due to the vaccination rule. 

(With PTI inputs)

Image Credits: AP