Travel to USA - AZ vaccine

[didireallysaythat]

Does anyone know if the USA are considering approving the AZ vaccine? I should be travelling to the USA for work but as I got the AZ vaccine and not Pfizer or Moderna, I believe I'd currently have to quarantine and then wear a mask etc for the state I'd visit.

i did read they may accept double dose AZ vaccine as fully immunised as it was recognised by the WHO
im trying to find the link

ignore the crappy link
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel-during-covid19.html

scroll right to the bottom and it says AZ is recognised

OP: Are you an American citizen, resident, visa- or green-card holder?

I doubt they'll approve AZ. Not when they have enough supply of more effective vaccines.

www.itv.com/news/2021-06-29/covid-two-oxford-vaccines-produce-low-level-of-antibodies-against-delta-variant-study-shows

AZ is approved by CDC for restrictions:
"* This guidance applies to COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen COVID-19 vaccines. This guidance can also be applied to COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization (e.g. AstraZeneca/Oxford). SeeWHO’s websiteexternal iconfor more information about WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccines."

There was a little panic because the NY venue with Bruce Springsteen originally said it would only have people who had an FDA approved vaccine, but they quite quickly updated that to include WHO approved. Worth remembering Canada and Mexico have both used a lot of AZ, the UK isn't the only country to use it.

[quote Tealightsandd]I doubt they'll approve AZ. Not when they have enough supply of more effective vaccines.

www.itv.com/news/2021-06-29/covid-two-oxford-vaccines-produce-low-level-of-antibodies-against-delta-variant-study-shows[/quote]
Whether they do or not I hope they don't ban people who've had AZ from going to the US. I follow Mac 'n Chise on Twitter and she seems to think it will be approved there at some point.

Going off topic slightly. Given that report, it seems like there's a need for the UK to give mRNA boosters to people who've had AZ.

Probably explains why Germany's Angela Merkel had a mRNA vaccine (Moderna) for her second jab. Her first was AZ.

Thanks for the link chips (US holiday booked for early next year!). The relevant phrase in the link states:
“This guidance can also be applied to COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization.”

It mentions AZ specifically but presumably also applies to Sinopharm and Sinovac (the Chinese vaccines). The WHO is also expected to grant emergency approval to one or two others in the next couple of months, but has not stated which they are.

MRex you’re clearly a much faster typist than me!

Thanks everyone.

I'll contact the conference organisers as they list which vaccines they are accepting as meaning you can attend without quarantine and AZ isn't there (it maybe a state mandatory thing?)

I'm a UK citizen, had a US visa a long time ago, but happily not in my current passport.

The site text

"According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a fully vaccinated person is anyone having received the second dose of Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and two weeks have transpired since the last dose."

"If fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization, one can travel safely within the United States."

"Fully vaccinated travelers need not self-quarantine upon arrival in the U.S."

Still need to take tests etc..

So maybe I'd be ok. Still think I might not bother - I'd have to quarantine upon my return??

@Tealightsandd yes I'd sort of assumed that if you had AZ a Pfizer booster might be advisable. I guess the AZ beta vaccine is now being tested for the benefit of countries that haven't achieved full vaccination yet. Their focus remains on the clotting side effects (given storage is simpler) but the Moderna vaccine is easier to store anyway.

I think you're right @didireallysaythat

Well without a US passport or green card (or being the spouse of a US citizen or GC holder, or the parent of a minor US citizen or GC holder) you won’t be coming into the US from the UK anytime soon, unless you have an NIE. There’s the option of the 14-day Mexico stay as an alternative.

Quarantine regulations are a stare hatter, not a federal matter do you need to check the DOH website of the state in question. And since things change constantly I’d wait until closer to the time to see what the current requirements are. Most states are mask-free now.

@Tealightsandd

Going off topic slightly. Given that report, it seems like there's a need for the UK to give mRNA boosters to people who've had AZ.

I'm double jabbed with AZ and going to the states in August (citizen). My mother thinks I should walk in to CVS and get an mRNA jab as well while I'm there

WHO has authorised AZ jab, that's accepted in USA.

Nobody checks you're double jabbed anyway if you go out after arrival in USA (say other Americans who travelled from UK back to to USA, on recent Facebook).

I'd have to quarantine upon my return??

Yes, hence the Freedom passport does not exist for me -- not yet.

Check the London US Embassy facebook page; it's heaving with complaints from people who can't get visas to go to USA to take up jobs or make work visits, or their children's passports renewed, or register births of their children. The site is crashing for me too, this morning, so I assume the new appointments for next week were just released. I won't get one either. So another way, that Freedom passport not yet delivered.

When I finally accompany DC to get their passports renewed, I wonder if they and/or me will also have to be double jabbed. Seems likely. Why should I rush to get the jab when I can't even get the appt?

Meanwhile, Even the double jabbed still have to mandatory wear masks and take multiple tests to do many things, especially travel. How long will that go on for? Not very 'free'.