Australia on Monday said it has recognized China’s Sinopharm vaccine for those traveling into the country.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it has obtained “additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveler would transmit COVID-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to COVID-19.”

The recognition of the Chinese vaccine by Australia comes when the bilateral relations between the two countries are at their lowest ebb, caused by Canberra’s demand to probe the origin of coronavirus.

The country also recognized Covaxin, manufactured by Bharat Biotech of India.

Canberra had already recognized another Chinese vaccine manufactured by Sinovac, a statement by the TGA said.

The recognition of Chinese and Indian vaccines “means many citizens of China and India, as well as other countries in our region where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia.”

“This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia,” the statement added.

Australia has reported 172,030 COVID-19 cases, including 1,743 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic in December 2019.

Overall, the deaths caused by the COVID-19 have surged past 5 million in less than two years./aa