Canada Wants The US & Other Countries To Accept Mixed Vaccine Doses So Canadians Can Travel

Canada is trying to get the U.S. and other countries around the world to recognize people who have received mixed vaccine doses as fully vaccinated so they can travel.

Speaking at a press conference about COVID-19 on September 24, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam revealed that Canada has been engaging with the U.S. and other countries that are top destinations for Canadians and presenting the country's data about the effectiveness of mixed doses.

The country's top doctor also said that she believes the talks are "progressing pretty well" but that each country is still trying to figure out what do to with vaccine requirements.

With the U.S. specifically, Tam said the issue isn't with interchanging mRNA vaccines. Since the AstraZeneca vaccine — aka Vaxzevria — hasn't been used in the U.S. either fully or mixed, they don't have domestic data on it.

She said Canada has been giving technical support to American officials to help them make a decision on mixed doses, specifically AstraZeneca as a first dose and an mRNA vaccine as a second dose. "I understand that they are still in the process of deliberation," Tam said.

The country's top doctor also had a warning for Canadian travellers. She said that people are being advised to check the requirements of the country they're heading to before they travel because there might be different rules on what's considered fully vaccinated.

"We're doing everything that we can to facilitate that recognition," Tam said.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.