As the United States and other countries around the world try to figure out their international vaccine requirements, millions of Canadians have found themselves in an unusual predicament – not all governments consider someone with two different vaccine doses to be fully vaccinated.
CBC Canada brought up this predicament on Saturday, noting that while Canadians have been free to fly to the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, the new U.S. travel rules announced Monday may put a crimp in many people’s travel plans when the rule goes into effect in November.
Back in the summer, Canada started allowing people to mix Moderna and Pfizer vaccine doses, which are both created using the same mRNA platform. And, because of concerns over blood clots, people who had received their first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine were advised to follow it up with one of the mRNA vaccine doses, reports the Toronto Star.
But Canada is not alone in allowing mixed vaccines to be doled out. The list includes Germany, Italy, France, and Thailand – which have given mixed vaccines to a number of its citizens. But there is no international consensus on the practice.
Needless to say, but the result has been travel headaches for some Canadians who have ventured out of the country only to find their official vaccination status in doubt.
CBC Canada News asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) if the millions of Canadians with mixed vaccines will still be allowed to fly into the U.S. when the vaccine requirement kicks in. The CDC said it’s in the “regulatory process” phase in determining which vaccines will be accepted.
The agency also laid out its current policy: it considers people fully vaccinated when they have all recommended doses of the same COVID-19 vaccine, such as Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca. “At present, CDC does not recognize mixed vaccines,” said spokesperson Kristen Nordlund.
Currently, the CDC does allow mixed doses of the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, in certain “exceptional conditions,” such as when the vaccine used for the first dose was no longer available.
Royal Caribbean cruise lines won’t accept a passenger as being fully vaccinated if they have received a mix of the AstraZeneca and one of the mRNA vaccines. States Royal Caribbean cruise line on its website – “We continue to encourage the CDC and other U.S. government officials to re-evaluate this policy.”
The CDC said the U.S. is conducting trials on the safety and effectiveness of mixed vaccines, and that the agency may update its vaccine recommendations once it has new data. However, that is small comfort to those who have already made travel plans.
CTV News Canada is reporting that Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says active discussions are underway with a number of countries, the U.S. included, to permit the entry of Canadians with mixed COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Tam said the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has been presenting data to colleagues internationally on the effectiveness of a mixed-dose schedule, so it has now in the hands of health officials in other countries to study the data and make their determinations.
“Those [discussions] are progressing pretty well. But every country is trying to figure out right now the vaccine requirements, and the U.S. … is just beginning to pull together their policy,” she said, speaking to reporters during a COVID-19 briefing on Friday.
