The Government of the Sultanate of Oman on Wednesday added Indian-made Covaxin to the approved list of COVID-19 vaccines for travel to the country without quarantine.

Muscat [Oman] : “COVAXIN has now been added to the approved list of COVID-19 vaccines for travel to Oman without quarantine. This will facilitate travellers from India vaccinated with COVAXIN,” tweeted the Embassy of India in Muscat. “All passengers from India who have received two doses of Covaxin at least 14 days before the estimated arrival date will now be able to travel to Oman without the requirement of quarantine. All other COVID-19 related requirements/conditions, such as pre-arrival RT-PCR test shall be applicable for such passengers,” read the press release of the Indian Embassy.
This notification will significantly ease travel to Oman for Indian nationals who have taken Covaxin. Passengers who have taken AstraZeneca/Covishield are already permitted to travel to Oman without quarantine.
Covaxin, India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, is developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for Emergency Use Listing has decided that additional clarifications from the manufacturer are needed to conduct a final EUL risk-benefit assessment for global use of the vaccine.
The UN health body said that the TAG expects to reconvene for the final risk-benefit assessment on November 3.
Bharat Biotech has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional information at the UN health body’s request on September 27.
Earlier this month, WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan had said that the UN health body’s technical advisory group will meet on October 26 to consider Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for Covaxin.Last week, WHO had said a vaccine recommended by it for emergency use must be evaluated thoroughly.

Difficult to predict time-frame, but Covaxin will get WHO’s approval, says AIIMS Professor

New Delhi [India]: Reacting to World Health Organisation (WHO) seeking additional clarifications for emergency use listing of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, Professor of Centre for Community Medicine (CCM) in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi on Wednesday said that though it is difficult to predict time-frame, Covaxin will surely get the WHO’s approval.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Rai said, “It is difficult to predict how soon we will get the approval but we will get it definitely. When Bharat Biotech and Centre will provide the data, WHO will give its approval. So, we have to wait till then.” “Additional data means there is a certain procedure. They want data related to efficacy, data related to effectiveness, data related to safety,” he added.
Rai further said that there is a committee for approval of all vaccines and new drugs. “WHO has approved only a few vaccines till now. So, the approval of vaccines is under process,” he stated.
Dr Rai said that WHO follows a certain procedure for the approval of vaccines. “There are prescribed procedures and it is a good thing that everything is being scrutinised thoroughly,” he added.
WHO has said that additional clarifications from manufacturer are needed to conduct a final Emergency Use Listing (EUL) risk-benefit assessment for global use of India-made Covaxin.
“The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (TAG-EUL) expects the clarification from Bharat Biotech by end of this week and thus will reconvene for the final risk-benefit assessment on Wednesday, November 3,” WHO said.
“The TAG-EUL is an independent advisory group that provides recommendations to WHO on whether a Covid-19 vaccine can be listed for emergency use under the EUL procedure,” it added.
On April 19, Bharat Biotech submitted its EOI (Expression of Interest) to WHO EUL.
Till date, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute of India, Johnson and Johnson-Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm vaccines have been approved by WHO for emergency use.