'I took India's COVISHIELD vaccine': UNGA president Abdulla Shahid amid India-UK travel row

"I've got the two doses. I don't know how many countries would say that Covishield is acceptable or not, but a large portion of the countries have got Covishield," the President of the 76th session of the UNGA Abdulla Shahid said.

New Delhi: The President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid made a case in favour of India-made COVID-19 vaccine when he said that he had been jabbed with COVISHILED. He went on to say that a "large portion" of other countries around the world were innoculated with it, too.

"On vaccines, that's a very technical question you have asked me. I got Covishield from India, I've got the two doses. I don't know how many countries would say that Covishield is acceptable or not, but a large portion of the countries have got Covishield," Shahid said during his first press conference on Friday.

His answer was in response to a question on whether any COVID vaccine should be recognised and considered or the ones that have been validated by the World Health Organisation or any other group. "... I've survived. But let someone else, a medical person make that call, not me," he added with a laugh.

The Covishield vaccine, which has been developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute of India.

India exported over 66 million of vaccine doses to nearly 100 countries through grants, commercial shipments and the COVAX facility. The Maldives, which is the home country of Shahid, was among the first nations to receive the doses in January.

The row with UK escalated as the British refused to provide any respite from stringent quarantine rules for Indian travellers vaccinated with two both of Covishield. 

Under the new British rules, Indians will have to undergo a 10-day quarantine. British officials said the UK has issues with India's vaccine certification process and not with the Covishield vaccine.

While, India decided to impose a reciprocal curb against all British nationals arriving in the country.