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Opinions of Monday, 20 September 2021

Columnist: Amanda Clinton

Discrimination of coronavirus vaccinations? - New U.K and U.S rules

Does it mean that vaccines administered in Ghana are not effective as those in UK ? Does it mean that vaccines administered in Ghana are not effective as those in UK ?

The new entry rules for travelling into the U.K (that applied from July 26, 2021) and traveling into the United States (that will apply from November 2021) means that double vaccinated people who got vaccinated in the U.S, E.U, or the U.K can enter the U.K without quarantine. Therefore the rules appear to suggest that if you are British or Ghanaian etc. but double vaccinated elsewhere, that is outside the U.S, U.K, or E.U, the standard 10-day quarantine still applies as a blanket rule.

Does this, therefore, mean that the same branded vaccines administered in Ghana are not deemed as effective as the same type of vaccines administered in the U.S, U.K, and E.U or are the new rules to suggest that some developed countries don't trust the proof of vaccination slip given to that individual after they vaccinated outside the U.S, U.K or E.U?

UNICEF for instance states on their website that "The COVID-19 vaccine authorised in Ghana will be as effective as any vaccine authorised by other countries. This is because various phases of clinical trial data reviewed by the FDA showed that the vaccines are safe and efficacious." If that is the case, should different rules apply depending on which country you got vaccinated in? U.S, U.K, and E.U representatives should shed more light on these new quarantine rules to be applied and clarify why such a distinction exists.

Borders are being lowered but are 'developing' countries even with better Covid records than some developed nations to suffer and if so does it mean less travel for those in developing countries with these new rules even if individuals have the resources to travel?

This is suggested because a 10-day automatic quarantine is a deterrent from ordinary travel since most people don't stay more than 3 weeks outside the country and even if they do, to quarantine for 10 days cuts short any trip and if already double jabbed in one's own home country, does that mean one has to get double jabbed again in another country in order to avoid being quarantined again upon entry into that country in the next few years?

Interesting geopolitical times ahead of us. Hopefully, a blanket quarantine rule will apply to all vaccinated entrants into the U.S, U.K, and E.U especially if the vaccine administered is authorised in the U.S, U.K, and U.S as well as the entrant's home country.