Will Africans be able to travel to Europe this summer? At present, in any case, most people are still unable to travel to France and most EU countries, despite the reopening of borders. Only vaccines that have already been approved by the European Medicines Agency are currently accepted on “passsanitaire” of the 27. The Covishield vaccine is not one of them and this clarification has triggered misunderstandings and doubts among African populations.
It all started when the French diplomatic missions in Africa published the methods of reopening the French borders a few days ago. Since June 9, fully vaccinated individuals have only a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours to present to travel to France. But provided that it is with a vaccine recognized by the European Medicines Agency. And in their press releases, the French embassies write that “the Covishield vaccine is not recognized by the European health authorities at this stage”.
Disrupted vaccination campaigns
Doubts are growing in the French-speaking countries of the continent. Because this vaccine is the one that is mainly distributed in Africa, via the Covax unit, controlled by the World Health Organization (WHO). And it is in Madagascar that the controversy has grown the most. On May 8, the country received with great pomp 250,000 doses of Covishield vaccine. “When the vaccine doses were received, representatives of the international community were present at Ivato Airport in Antananarivo, including representatives of the European Union, to encourage and encourage people to be vaccinated,” says Émée. Ratsimbazafy, Vice President of KMF-CNOE-Citizens’ training, an association of Malagasy civil society. “And then all of a sudden we learn that this vaccine is not recognized by European health authorities. Why? Many are now wondering about this the vaccine is really harmless and effective. “According to her, some people are now reluctant to be vaccinated.
The Malagasy Minister for Health, Professor Jean-Louis Rakotovao-Hanitrala, said he was “surprised and shocked”. “This vaccine was given to us by the WHO and was welcomed by the European Union and all UN agencies,” he explained to the local press. Not validating it “makes us wonder if there is no vaccine for Africans and another for Europeans”.
Calm the public
Since then, press releases have been linked to try to reassure the public, while false information and rumors, especially on social networks, are already to some extent compromising vaccination campaigns on the continent. The United States, through its embassy, but also UN representatives and the WHO, reaffirms its support for Covishield.
The European Union has also reacted and recalled the importance of vaccination in the fight against Covid-19. The EU declares that the WHO and the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar (ANAMEM) have approved this vaccine and that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) operates independently and is only intended to guide the Commission’s European Union to approve the sale of medicines to member countries.
“Safe and effective vaccine”
The EMA has validated the vaccine developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory, but only the version called Vaxzevria, which are produced and manufactured directly by the laboratory in the United Kingdom or other European countries. The version called Covishield is made in India by the Serum Institute of India.
“The Covishield vaccine is exactly the same vaccine in terms of quality and efficacy as the vaccine currently being produced and approved in Europe,” said Dr. Richard Mihigo, in charge of vaccination at WHO Africa. However, the Covishield vaccine was not intended for use within the European Union, it has not been submitted for approval at the level of the European Medicines Agency. It does not in any way affect the quality of this vaccine. “
According to him, it would therefore be a simple administrative procedure and he recalls that Covishield is recognized by the WHO, “which remains the world health authority” and that the validation of vaccines is done in a rigorous manner by independent experts. . “Some developed countries, such as Canada, recognize and use Covishield,” he adds. In Africa, 37 of the 43 countries that have joined the Covax system have already received this vaccine.
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What the health transitions bring in the EU and in France
Since June 9, France has opened its borders to citizens of most countries in the world, provided that travelers are fully vaccinated.
However, this does not apply to some countries that are on a “red list” established by Paris, according to the spread of worrying variations within their population and for which the restrictions are still valid. In Africa, only South Africa is on the list.
The European authorities have established a list of four vaccines, the only ones currently approved by the European Medicines Agency, which allow unrestricted access to its territory. These are the Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech, the one from Moderna, the Vaxzevria vaccine from AstraZeneca and the Janssen vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. However, the EU leaves room for its member states to accept other vaccines. Greece, for example, recognizes the Russian vaccine Sputnik V in order to promote the return of as many tourists as possible and therefore strengthen its economy. But France, like most other European countries, only recognizes vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency, which excludes Russian and Chinese vaccines, but also the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in India, Covishield, the most administered in Africa. The abolition of traffic restrictions is therefore not yet relevant for the African continent. Travel is therefore still only approved for “compelling reasons”.
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