Indian Health Minister: "Vaccine Passports Are Highly Discriminatory... Oppose Their Introduction"

Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] India, suffering from the massive spread of COVID-19, strongly opposed the vaccine passports being promoted by leading vaccination countries, calling them "very discriminatory measures."

Harsh Vardhan, India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said at the G7 Health Ministers' meeting on the 5th (local time) that "vaccine passports are disadvantageous to developing countries," according to local media India Today. India attended this year's G7 Health Ministers' meeting as a guest.

This was aimed at advanced vaccination countries such as the European Union (EU), the United States, and Israel, which are planning or promoting the introduction of vaccine passports. The EU will introduce a vaccine passport system starting from the 1st of next month for travel among its 27 member countries. Israel and China established vaccine travel certificates within their countries in March.

Minister Vardhan emphasized the need to expand vaccine production and ensure equitable distribution during the pandemic. On the first day of the meeting, he said, "Vaccination rates in developing countries are still much lower than in advanced countries," and "India expresses concern about introducing vaccine passports at this point."

He also expressed support for reforms of the World Health Organization (WHO) and proposed a pandemic treaty to prepare for future infectious diseases. According to the international statistics site Our World in Data, as of the 4th, the rate of people receiving at least one dose in India is 13.1%, and those fully vaccinated with two doses is 3.3%.