U.S. to accept travellers immunized with vaccines approved by WHO, FDA, says CDC
Posted October 11, 2021 7:36 am.
Last Updated October 12, 2021 5:53 am.
The United States will soon accept international travellers immunized with COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the decision in an email and said more guidance will be provided as requirements are finalized.
White House officials said last month the U.S. would begin welcoming fully vaccinated international travellers in November, but they did not say which vaccines would be accepted.
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The news means Canadians immunized with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and its counterpart COVISHIELD will be able to travel to the U.S. when new travel rules come into play next month.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by WHO, but not by the FDA. Currently, the only vaccine approved by the FDA is the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine.
Did you get the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Canada & have been worried about whether you'll be able to travel to the US? Do you have an experience where you changed plans because you didn't know if you would be let into the US?
I'd like to chat with you today 604.877.4400— Lasia Kretzel (@rhymeswpretzel) October 11, 2021
The lingering question, however, is whether people with mixed doses will be allowed in. As of last month, the U.S. did not recognize vaccine mixing unless it was two mRNA shots and was done in exceptional circumstances, such as if one brand of vaccine was no longer available.
Canada, Germany, Italy, France, and Thailand are among the countries whose citizens may have received mixed vaccines, such as one dose of AstraZeneca and one dose of an mRNA vaccine such as Comirnaty or Morderna’s Spikevax.
The CDC says it began informing airlines of its decision last week.
The National Airlines Council of Canada says it welcomes the policy change and encourages Canada to also recognize all WHO-approved vaccines.
“As countries move forward and recognize WHO approved vaccines, it underscores the critical need for the Canadian government to do likewise, and accept the global standard established by the WHO,” the organization wrote in a tweet.
Canada currently only recognizes Comirnaty, Spikevax, AstraZeneca and COVISHIELD, and the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Our view: “As countries move forward and recognize WHO approved vaccines, it underscores the critical need for the Canadian government to do likewise, and accept the global standard established by the WHO.” More
