Canada’s vaccination strategy of mixing COVID-19 jabs is quickly becoming a problem as many Canadians return to travel. The decision made to bolster vaccination rates across the nation has come massively under fire.
Research has shown that mixing viral vector vaccines, such as AstraZeneca, with mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer, produces a more significant immune response. However, many countries are choosing not to recognize these combinations.
What does this mean?
Those that received mixed vaccinations are deemed in some countries not to be “fully vaccinated” and would have to undergo the same restrictions followed by the non-vaccinated and part-vaccinated travellers.
The issue is no more apparent than in the European Union, where many nations don’t recognize certain combinations. The news gets even worse for CoviShield recipients who have been excluded from the EU’s vaccine passport program.
Cruise ships will also reserve the right to deny passengers that don’t meet their criteria for “fully vaccinated”. I problem that we shouldn’t expect to face when Canadian cruise ships return in November.
Canada has received international praise for it’s vaccination program, getting needles in arms at the rate it did. Unfortunately, the shortsighted decisions made here have far from paid off.
What can be done?
Justin Trudeau addressed the vaccination strategy recently, stating that:
“We’re going to work with the international community to make sure that people who are fully vaccinated in ways that Canadians recognize as safe and effective are also recognized around the world.”
However, in the week since, there has been little reassurance on the matter.
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