Canadians With Mixed Doses Can Now Travel To The US When Its New Vaccine Rules Kick In

There is good news for people in Canada who got mixed doses of COVID-19 vaccines and want to travel to the U.S. when new vaccination requirements come into effect.

On October 15, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance to include information about what vaccines qualify people as fully vaccinated and how vaccine records should be interpreted.

While the CDC has not recommended the use of mixed doses in the U.S., the government agency said it has become "increasingly common" in other countries. It said people entering the U.S. will be considered fully vaccinated if they got any combination of an FDA approved/authorized or World Health Organization emergency use listed vaccine.

More than 3.9 million people in Canada have received a combination of two COVID-19 vaccines, which would have made them ineligible for travel to the U.S. if receiving a mix of two doses wasn't considered fully vaccinated.

On November 8, the U.S. land border will open to fully vaccinated Canadians and vaccination requirements for all air travellers entering the country will kick in as well.

Canadian students who go to school in the U.S. and other essential travellers will also have to show proof of vaccination starting in January 2022.

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