NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2021) The head of the Indian Ministry of Health, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, speaking at the G7 meeting of the health ministers said that India was against the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination passports at this stage of the pandemic.
"Expressed India's concern & strong opposition to 'Vaccine Passport' at this juncture of the #pandemic. With vaccine coverage as a % of population in developing countries still low compared to developed countries, such an initiative could prove to be highly discriminatory," the minister tweeted on Friday.
According to Vardhan, India proposes to further discuss the issue as more evidence will come forth on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.
"India would suggest that the same should be implemented duly taking into consideration emerging evidence on efficacy of vaccines," the minister said at the G7 meeting.
India is still second in the world in the number of detected cases of COVID-19. According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health, the total number of active cases in the country has exceed 28.6 million people with over 1,000 new cases in the past day.
India has also been struggling with its vaccination campaign with only 3% of the population having received both doses.
On June 2, it was reported that seven EU countries � Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland � began using the Digital COVID Certificate for traveling within the bloc. The system will be launched in full force on July 1.
The G7 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The meeting served as a preparatory event for the group's summit to be held in UK's Cornwall next week. This year, the UK has invited Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa as guest countries.
