U.S. confirms it will accept Canadian travellers with mixed vaccines

Canadians with mixed vaccines and U.S. travel plans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Following weeks of speculation, the United States confirmed late Friday it will accept mixed vaccines when new rules kick in on Nov. 8requiring thatforeign travellers entering theU.S. be fully vaccinated.

Individualsinoculated with any combination of two doses of aCOVID-19 vaccineauthorized by U.S. regulators or the World Health Organization will beconsidered fully vaccinated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CBC News.

WHO-approved vaccines includeModerna, Pfizer,AstraZeneca and its Indian-made counterpart, Covishield. Sotravellers with any combination of these vaccines will be allowed to enter the U.S.

The CDCdoes not recognize mixing COVID-19 vaccinesbut said it updated its guidanceto reflect growing global acceptance of the practice.

"While CDC has not recommended mixing types of vaccine in a primary series, we recognize that this is increasingly common in other countries so should be accepted for the interpretation of vaccine records," CDC spokespersonKristen Nordlundsaid in an email.

Millions of Canadians have mixed doses of COVID-19 vaccines. When theU.S.recently announced it would impose a vaccination requirement for travellers entering by both land and air, many Canadians with mixed doses worriedthey might soonbe barred from entering the country.

"We felt kind of blindsided," said snowbird, Ingrid Whyte of Toronto. Following Canadian government guidance, she and her husband, John, each got one dose of Covishield and a second dose of Pfizer.

'We did all the things we were supposed to do in terms of vaccinations,"Whytesaid.

The couple had booked a flight to Florida for Nov. 17, but cancelled it due to concerns over their mixed vaccines. They're now relieved to hear their vaccine combination won't be an issue when entering the U.S.

"We are thrilled," Whyte said."I wish it could have been a little sooner. It would have allowed people to plan a little bit more effectively. But in the long run, it's great news."

It's also good news for Petar Sesar of London, Ont., who has a mix of Moderna and Pfizer.

Sesar'sfiance, Mara Bakula,lives in Cleveland. Sesarwelcomed news this week that the U.S. land border will reopen on Nov. 8to non-essential travellers, as he prefers to drive instead of fly to Cleveland.

However, he worried he might soon have no way of getting to the U.S. if the country rejected his vaccine mix.

"That was a very scary moment," he said. "It felt like house arrest of sorts, likenow I [may] have no option."

Earlier this year, theCDCstated online thata mix of two mNRA vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, would be accepted in "exceptional situations." But Sesar didn't rest easy until he learned that the CDC had approved his exact combination.

"It is unbelievable," he said. "It is such a relief.I share the relief with millions of [Canadians]."

What are the other rules for entering the U.S.?

When the new U.S. travel rules kick in on Nov. 8, travellers will still be on the hook for one ormore COVID-19 tests.

Along with showing proof of vaccination, air passengers will still have to show proof of a negative antigen or molecular test taken within three days of boarding their flight to the U.S.

Canadians entering by land won't have to take a COVID-19 test. However, when returning to Canada, all non-essential land and air travellers must show proof of a negative molecular test.

WATCH | U.S. will accept Canadians with mixed vaccines:

U.S. will now accept Canadian travellers with mixed COVID-19 vaccine doses

3 years ago

Duration 2:09

The United States has confirmed that Canadians that had different COVID-19 vaccines for their first and second dose will be recognized as fully vaccinated. The U.S. will be implementing travel restrictions on Nov. 8, only permitting fully vaccinated travellers into the country.

That return test has caused consternation for Canadian daytrippers to the U.S. No matter how short their trip, they will be on the hook for a molecular test, such as a PCR test, thatoften ranges from $150 to $300 USand can take 24 hours before results are available.

To eliminate the wait for testresults, the federal government says Canadians can take theirtest in Canada, travel to the U.S. and then use that test to return, as long as it'slessthan 72 hours old.

But that solution doesn't eliminate the high cost of the test.

At a news conference on Friday, Ottawa said thataccording to the latest data, less than oneper cent of fully vaccinated travellers tested positive after beingrandomly selected to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival. Even so, Chief Public Health Officer Dr.Theresa Tamsaid Canada's pre-arrival test requirementwill remain for nowfor both unvaccinated and vaccinated travellers.

"We're still at the top of that fourth wave. We're in a situation in Canada where our health systems are still very fragile," she said. "We need to take a precautionary approach in the next little while, and we'll continue to evaluate the situation."

The U.S. has yet to say how it will deal with childtravellers too young to get vaccinated. The CDC toldCBCNews it's working to establish an age requirement for its vaccine mandate.