Covaxin imbroglio: Foreign-bound Indian college students agonised over obligatory quarantine, revaccination

Written by Samriddhi Sakunia
Nikhil Patil (21), an engineer from Gujarat’s Vadodara, was relieved when he lastly managed to guide a Covid-19 vaccination slot for himself after loads of makes an attempt in May. A couple of weeks earlier, Patil had secured admission to Canada’s University of Windsor for a post-graduation course and needed to make sure that he was absolutely vaccinated by the point he utilized for the visa.
Patil acquired the primary dose of Covaxin and is now anxious about his journey and training like 1000’s of different foreign-bound college students inoculated with it. The vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is but to get Emergency Use Listing (EUL) approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Last week, the most recent bid by Bharat Biotech’s US associate Acugen to acquire an emergency-use authorisation was rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Without WHO approval, most international locations are prone to deal with these administered Covaxin as unvaccinated. The different vaccine extensively in use within the nation, Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, is permitted by WHO.

“What this means for me is that even if I land in Canada, I will be considered as a non-vaccinated person in Canada. Further, I will have to pay for my 14-day quarantine and get re-vaccinated”, stated Patil.
Akarsh Thodupunuri, a graduate from Hyderabad, rushed to get vaccinated forward of his faculty in Canada in August. “I took Covaxin because it was available at the time. Little did I know that this decision would jeopardise my career. I’m scheduled to travel to Canada in August, and I have paid about Rs 50 lakh for my college in advance,” stated Thodupunuri.
Thodupunuri says quarantine amenities in Canada can value wherever between Rs 20,000 to 1.2 lakh. “Plus, I will have to do Covid tests that cost almost 60 CAD (Rs 3,600) before the flight, at the layover and after landing in Canada. I could have avoided all this hassle and expenditure had I taken a WHO-approved vaccine,” stated Thodupunuri.
Another scholar from Hyderabad Bhoomika Motwani is fearful concerning the additional prices her household should incur to arrange a quarantine facility for her in Canada. “I have to bear the cost of the quarantine which for me would be about Rs 1.2 lakh. I will have to revaccinate myself and not much research has come out on revaccination. That concerns me,” stated Motwani.

Piyush Patil, a graduate of Marathwada Mitramandal, Pune, needed to cancel his masters. “I was applying for a college in the UK. I took Covaxin but the UK does not recognise Covaxin. I took the vaccine trusting the government, but now will have to postpone my studies to next year”.
It shouldn’t be solely college students, seafarers are additionally dealing with issues as a result of Covaxin. “As many as 2000 seafarers have faced issues due to getting vaccinated with Covaxin. Some have even lost their jobs because they couldn’t join ships on time. I get calls daily of seafarers from various states like Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal. We have written to WHO and Maharashtra Chief Minister Aditya Thackeray but have got no response as yet,” Abhijit Sangle, working president of All India Seafarers Union, stated.