When the US reopens its borders to travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 in November, the new rules could exclude people vaccinated with Russian Sputnik, according to the Washington Post. This is the result of the vaccine not being authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
While the final rules and protocol that will apply from November at US borders have yet to be set, officials from President Joe Biden’s administration have announced that people vaccinated with FDA or WHO-approved drugs will be allowed to enter the United States.
This is potentially bad news for those vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V and, among other things, the Indian vaccine Kovaxin, which – unlike, for example, the Chinese drugs Sinopharm and Sinovacu – is not yet on the WHO list.
WHO has suspended the approval process for Sputnik V.
Moreover, last week, WHO suspended the approval process for Sputnik V after an inspection at one of the plants showed that the vaccine production process did not meet relevant standards.
Sputnik V is accepted in 70 countries of the world
So far, nothing has changed, this may mean that when the borders will open for most travelers in November, incl. from Europe, will be next to Russians who until now could travel freely to the United States if they had a visa and a negative COVID-19 test. However, the problem is broader because Sputnik V has been approved in 70 countries and is also used, among others, in Hungary.
The RFPI added that despite the suspension of the authorization process by WHO, the organization’s swift approval is almost certainly due to the drug’s “so far outstanding results”.