Saudi Arabia recognizes Covishield as an AstraZeneca equivalent vaccine

The Indian embassy in Riyadh announced on Sunday that Saudi Arabia has recognized the Covishield COVID-19 vaccine as an equivalent to the AstraZeneca shot.

This eliminates the need for Indian expatriates to be quarantined when they come to Saudi Arabia. AstraZeneca is one of the vaccines approved in Saudi Arabia. AstraZeneca-Oxford is the manufacturer of the Covshield vaccine in India.

The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia tweeted, “Embassy is pleased to announce that Saudi Authorities have recognized the equivalence of Covishield vaccine in India to the Astra Zeneca vaccine which is approved by Saudi authorities.”

Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson are among the companies whose vaccines have been approved in Saudi Arabia. Previously, expatriates had difficulty convincing immigration officials and airlines that the Covshield and AstraZeneca vaccines were the same.

Recently, Saudi Arabia’s general authority of civil aviation (GACA) announced that visitors entering the country will be exempt from mandatory quarantine if they have completed the 14-day period following the administration of COVID-19 vaccine doses approved in Saudi Arabia.

To be exempt from quarantine, travelers must also possess a vaccination certificate certified by their country of origin.